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Ask A Pro Live: Life after Social Isolation
It's safe to say that 2020 has been a weird year. It has been a lot and going into social isolation has weighed really heavy on people. Now most of us are at a stage where restrictions are lifting, which brings a whole new set of concerns and challenges for many people.
This chat will most likely be quite broad as COVID-19 and social isolation has impacted people in different ways. Whether it's difficulty getting back into routine, social anxiety, weight gain, depression, study stress or work - we got you.
This month we are inviting our special guest Dr Joe to the forum to chat about how to stay well post social isolation. Read on to learn a little bit about our guest:
''Dr Joe is a psychologist who has worked for many years with young people in Australia doing face to face counselling.
He is passionate about the strengths of young people and working with them to get through tough times.
Though he ran with bulls for fun and nearly died in Spain, being European he has a very real and rational fear of sharks''
It's going to be a great conversation and I'm sure we will all walk away from it feeling better equipped to cope. We'll be chatting live on the 23rd of July so put it into your calendar and we'll see you there!
Join us live on the 23rd of July from 7:00pm - 9:00 pm (AEDT).
I think so yes, but I’m an optimist- what about you ? Can you see any good in things generally? Good comes out of every challenge I think. We decide what attitude we want to use to approach covid and everything else. We learn about ourselves. There may be a greater understanding of mental health yes because anxiety and depression and stress have increased a lot due to covid for those who don’t normally suffer from them. That is a good thing – that increased understanding and I hope empathy also.
welcome back! yes we are all adapting - humans are good at it - not easy but we will do it!
I’m back, are we still on?
Yeah got a bit hectic @Janine-RO on my own tonight but that’s no reprieve from the 7pm I’m a volcano show...
absolutely correct - it is likely there will be many changes going forward that last. Commuting to CBDs may be finished for many that can work from home. Hospitality in the CBDs will suffer but outer suburb cafes and restaurants will do ok as people will be nearby....there are positives.
I just remembered a great small book called 'who moved my cheese' its very clever about dealing with unexpected change like covid or anything unexpected. There used to be a free pdf online - im sure someone can find it!
Ah that's an awesome one @GuestPsychologist ! Just came across a video they made of it so chucking it up here if anyone wants to have a look!
look forward to viewing - my reading could be much better! TY
@Hozzles thank you for your perspective on friends with anxiety. I have two friends like that but we ended up hosting a DnD session online and in some ways it was better than doing it in person! We were there for longer, didn't have to stress about hosting and also could stay home and save transport issues and time.
@StormySeas17 That sounds so cool! I'm always looking for games I can play online with friends and family. 🙂
Do you think mental health services are likely to become overwhelmed by new people seeking help?
I honestly think so, at least for ones such as helplines. I know psychologists in private practice have a bit more control over who they see and whether they can take on new clients. I think ReachOut has seen an increase in people coming here for support and information, but at the same time, we have been getting a lot more people interested in helping out on the forums. I think some great services have been set up in response to the stresses associated with the virus too.
true and some psycs like myself offered free counselling to those in need. People step up in a crises.
@Saltwaterdreamtime preachhhh sometimes telehealth arent always a safe and accessible option either, cheers for acknowledging that
yes we got to keep shopping around to get the right help and that is tricky - as someone aid earlier it costs money and not all therapists are useful I'm afraid, but worth trying.
I feel like the future is so uncertain. How do I stay focused, make plans etc when things are changing all the time??
I think there's certain things in and out of our control to plan. Personally, I FINALLY made the decision to go on exchange at the end of this year, and that didn't happen. It was my last chance to go for my degree. I literally got all of my applications in and two days later the uni cancelled it I've just decided to take this time to really work and get my degree done a bit faster. I had to find some positive to it. Some people like to think short-term, some like to think long-term. It really depends on the person what will comfort them most!
What would you say to someone who has felt like they 'wasted quarantine' by not being productive?
The idea of quarantine being a time of productivity was flawed from the start! We're all in survival mode, not thriving mode! In the scheme of things, many of us are lucky to have gotten through lockdown with our health and even lives in check. I honestly think the people who got a lot done are the outliers and it's important to contextualise what's been going on.
@GuestPsychologist The situation with your parents kind of reminds me of what my dentist experienced. Her parents live in Ireland I think and she also lost a friend in the UK to the virus and he was close in age to her. It's hard when you have family members who would get badly affected by the virus. I always get scared about passing something onto my grandparents or the nursing home residents I volunteer with.
absolutely - take massive care - nursing homes are so vulnerable - im sure the volunteering will come back in another way - I hope
true and some may have been painting a bright picture. I dont know ANYONE who DIDNT struggle.
@StormySeas17 Oh no! That's so unfortunate that your exchange got cancelled. 😞 I really hope there is an opportunity in the future for you to go to that country again. It's good that you've thought of some alternative things that you can do instead though.
So true @GuestPsychologist ! And you put it beautifully @StormySeas17 , it was definitely a time of survival mode rather than thriving mode for most of us, and that is totally okay!
I think a lot of people may be able to relate to this next one (sorry guys if I'm rushing through a bit! Just want to make sure we can get through all of the questions before we have to wrap up!)
I have been so on edge and stressed. Is this likely to continue even when life goes back to normal?
that stress cat image is stressing me out! be aware of what you are exposing your self too! surround yourself with as much positivity as possible and people who are positive if you can
Ahahah my apologies for the stress cat @GuestPsychologist ! So true about the power of positivity.
This question ties in a bit to the last one:
I feel like I am so stressed about the risk of catching COVID, that I am not leaving the house and not living my life. How can I make decisions about the risks so that I can be cautious and stay safe while getting on with life?