Wellbeing
The world feels topsy turvy right now! Our usual life has been up-ended and things don't look or feel the same. If there's one thing we can be certain of, it's that things in our world have never been this unpredictable. The word 'unprecedented' (ie, never done or known before) is getting a lot of airplay and with good reason – we've not been in this position before.
To help us get through this challenging time, behaving in healthy, safe ways is essential and staying connected, looking after yourself and caring for others is more important now, than ever.
TAKING CARE OF YOU
| This means taking care of your physical, emotional, mental, social, spiritual and environmental wellbeing. First, and most immediate, follow all the advice provided by the health experts on how to stay safe and well during the Covid-19 pandemic. If you're not sure how, check out this link, and more on Covid Health. | 
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For your other health and wellbeing needs, we've provided great information and links to helpful resources on the pages listed below. This includes a number of great self-care apps you can download to your phone or tablet device. While we are unable to endorse or recommend any of those we've listed, it's worth checking them out to see if there's one or more on the list that would meet your needs.
TAKING CARE OF OTHERS
Looking out for each other is more important than ever. A sense of community is crucial, so how can you help one another in times of social distancing and isolating?
- Keep in contact with each other and check in regularly
- Try to find light-hearted topics to talk about too, tell a joke, watch a comedy together while on the phone or chat
- Challenge each other using some of the resources we've provided on our pages below, eg:
- Have a bake-off using recipes from Boredom Busters or your own online sources
- Use one of the apps to stay connected and encourage each other
- Push up or fitness tally
- Number of books you can read in one week
- Listen to one another and really hear what others are saying – if you have concerns about someone's well-being please support them to seek professional help (see the 'When Life Feels Rough section below)
- If you believe someone is at risk of harm and unable to seek support for themselves, please act on their behalf and contact someone who can make a difference. As always, in an emergency call 000.
THE CHECK-IN APP
www.beyondblue.org.au/about-us/about-our-work/youthbeyondblue/the-check-in-app
The Check-in app was designed by Beyond Blue and Two Bulls in consultation with young people to help take the fear out of having a conversation with a friend who might be struggling. This is often not an easy conversation to have.
This app provides building blocks for how you would approach your friend and gives you a confidence boost to know what to do if your friend does need support. It helps young people plan a conversation of where they will have the conversation, what they will ask, what they have noticed and what they can do to support their friend. Young people also have the chance to rate the conversation through the app and get advice on the next steps in helping their friend while looking after their own mental health.
The Check-in app provides links to a range of online and phone services appropriate for young people in Australia. It also provides tips and advice from young people who have been through these conversations with friends.
Supporting documents
A collection of supporting documents and/or additional information is available on our website.
The document titles include: