With the second wave seemingly around the corner the Essex-based Nation’s Mental Wellness Coach, psychotherapist, Mark Newey, has developed a strategy to support those suffering with stress, anxiety, or depression due to the pandemic. Here he offers his top tips on how to look after your mental health through a second wave.

· We’ve been here before and we can learn from the first wave; we need to pro-actively put measures into our lives to help us through the winter months. First up, we know what we missed most in the first lockdown and for the majority that’s people and connections. It’s vital to stay connected, create a support bubble if you can and ensure you make the most out of online communications. Get dates in the diary, such as a weekly Zoom with a loved one, regular coffee/wine/beer with your friends etc. Search out community events that have gone virtual, or buy tickets to a local drive-in movie etc. It’s important to have things in the diary to look forward to.

· Of course, one of the biggest challenges to our mental health this time round is winter! It’s a time when many of us suffer from SAD or feel a ‘little down’. Here I believe we need to take inspiration from the Scandinavians and add a little hygge into our lives. Candles, fairy lights and open fires are very comforting and can create a relaxing ambience. But hygge is also about making you feel comfortable, so if it’s making sure you use a favourite mug for a cup of tea, popping on some slippers, adding fresh flowers to your room or baking fresh cakes, all will provide comfort and security.

· Take the time to realise it’s not ‘business as usual’. The one good thing from the pandemic is people have had the time to stop, reflect and have been given the opportunity to change what they didn’t like about their lives; primarily that’s about slowing things down, taking time out and general self-care. However, let’s not forget change also brings anxiety, that’s natural, but these aren’t normal circumstances that we can alter, and long-term anxiety can turn to depression. Help is on hand and guided meditation sessions are ideal for alleviating anxiety and fear, helping you relax and place order and control over your daily life.

· We also need the endorphins, happy hormones, to flood through our bodies. The best way to do that is to get some exercise. Walking the dog, going for a jog or a bike ride, a hiit workout or outside team sports are all ideal. Exercise also keeps you fit and healthy, which is ideal when many of us piled on the pounds in the last lockdown.

· We’re all told that in times of change or difficulty we need to be resilient; sometimes this can sound like a ‘pull yourself together’ talk, but if we’re stressed, anxious or depressed we have no idea how to do this. The best way to minimise anxiety due to uncertainty is to get as much structure as possible into your life. This means getting a regular routine through the day so that your system knows what’s coming next. So, get up, have breakfast, coffee break, lunch, supper, go for a walk and go to bed at the same time each day. Also take time out to spend some quiet time with yourself: sit in a comfortable chair, check in with how you’re feeling and be comfortable with who you are, warts and all! Feeling “comfortable in your own skin” is crucial to feeling mentally well and it’s easier than you think when you take time out!

Free online tools to support your mental wellness are also available from Mark Newey at www.headucate.me, which include videos on self-care in uncertain times, the Happiness Hierarchy (The Roadmap to Mental Wellness Education), five guided meditation sessions, five guided meditation sessions and a programme of 12 weekly webinars, which will discuss topics from self-awareness and self-esteem to life vision and parenting. To sign-up, simply visit www.headucate.me and go to COVID Lifeplan