Hi everyone, 

Welcome to this week's Weekly Wellbeing. This week, we're being joined by Louise to discuss 'turning head noise into a good tune' when dealing with COVID. Here's what she had to say...

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Hey everyone, my name is Louise and I’ll be sharing one of my top self-care tips for this week’s Weekly Wellbeing!

Before we get started, here’s a few fun facts about me:

1. I’m studying a double degree of Law/International and Global Studies
2. I strongly believe you can never have enough garlic
3. I’m waiting for the day I can own a sloth as a pet

As someone who lives with generalised anxiety disorder, I struggle with head noise daily. Whether it’s thinking about tasks I need to complete, doubting my capabilities, ruminating on previous experiences or imagining upcoming scenarios, it can get pretty loud pretty quickly. For me, this noise only increased during the pandemic as my chatter was accompanied by the varied views of many - scientists, politicians, economists, medical professionals, business owners, healthcare workers, the media, as well as friends and family.

An important thing I’ve learnt is that although it may differ in volume, this head noise is, and will always be, present. Therefore, instead of trying to stop it, the best thing to do is try and change its rhythm. When the volume in my brain gets turned up too high, I now know to get up. Step outside. Stretch my legs. Grab a cup of tea. If the dreaded tune “we don’t have enough time to do this” begins, I try to change its melody to a more upbeat one – “we will do our best in the time we have.” If the track “there is too much going on” starts as soon as I open my eyes in the morning, I start singing my own tune “moment by moment, step by step.”

For me, positive self-talk is one way I can encourage myself and feel a little more control over my busy and unpredictable days. Although it may be tricky at first, remember that your brain is a muscle – the more you engage in positive self-talk, the more natural it will become.

And at the end of the day – if you’re going to listen to something on repeat, it might as well be a good tune!

What is your top positive self-talk mantra when dealing with COVID stress?