With the world going through absolute turmoil, there is an important issue of mental health which can sometimes slip by the wayside when being devoured by the spectre of Covid-19. Whether that is a financial pressure due to losing your job or source of income, worrying about family or relatives, or just devouring too much news.

I firstly want to extend my deepest sympathies to you if you are experiencing any of the above. These are not comfortable times for most and everything is amplified thanks to the social-media-heavy coverage of every event.

I want to offer some advice during this time though. Work on something for yourself – it will remove the negative thoughts and worries in your head (even if only temporarily) and give you a sense of purpose. You can up-skill yourself by taking courses to help secure a career in a different sector. You can read books to inspire and bring around a positive mental change. You can control these feelings – do not let them control you.

There are so many great establishments, people and industries offering free skills at the moment and with the technology involved – these can be done in your own time – at any time of the day (so when the children finally get to sleep!). MOOCs are Massive Open Online Courses which are created by some of the worlds largest education establishments such as Harvard and MIT. You can learn anything by searching through the eDx website: http://www.edx.org – and get a certificate to add to your skillset.

Here are a number of other things that you could do to improve your day to day routine:

  • Drink plenty of water
  • Read an inspiring book (see: http://www.moneycoachuk.net/books)
  • Exercise
  • Avoid the news
  • Take a course – using various online options such as MOOCs
  • Listen to podcasts – I will be providing a library of items I use to fill my spare time
  • Watch productive youtube / TED talks to widen your horizons

If you consistently put in effort to do some of the above things every day, you will come out of this period with a different perspective on life and hopefully be in a better mental state to take on the world.