Blog
Viewing entries tagged
Covid-19
by Bill Sheate
My last blog post on Covid-19 (Coronavirus 6: keeping a sense of perspective…) was over a year ago (8 December 2020). I had thought at the time that might be the last, but with recent guidance and ‘Plan B’ introduced in the run up to Christmas 2021 then some further reflections may be worthwhile….. [Read more]
by Bill Sheate
I’m reluctant to suggest this might be my last Coronavirus blog on the subject – it is likely to be for 2020 at least! I never anticipated a series when I posted the first one back in March this year [1]. But Covid-19 continues to dominate the headlines – with the recent end of a second lockdown, new tiered levels of restrictions, the start of the first vaccinations, Christmas holidays and maybe a third lockdown after that (seems quite likely!)? How are you supposed to navigate the deluge of information, different restrictions and competing claims? How is this continuing to impact on your own mental health and well-being - as a student or as a member of staff? …..[Read more]
by Bill Sheate
As Universities re-open for the new academic year this autumn students and staff are facing a whole new world, a very different experience to one we may be used to or have come to expect.
Big lectures with hundreds of students are no more.
Online video recorded lecture material and online live meetings are the new order of the day.
And maybe some small group teaching or lab working, where possible, in 'bubbles' of various sizes.
But social events on campus are hugely curtailed.
Covid-19 has created it's own existential anxieties for many while for some the risks seem overblown. But as I've discussed in my previous Coronavirus blogs (1-4), this spectrum of perception is normal, depending on your own personal circumstances……. [Read more]
by Bill Sheate
Meeting people face to face and not just through a screen can be quite rejuvenating. Why is that?
Screen time of whatever sort requires quite a different type of concentration, something many of us will have discovered during Covid-19 lock down. It's what we call ‘focused attention’ rather than ‘broad attention’. Focused attention is what we do when we do tasks . But focused attention is also what happens with anxiety, and also often involves tension in the body, as you focus on the screen, or the people in the videos, trying to read signals and body language in two dimensions. It can feel tiring and draining of energy, because it is…….. [Read more]
by Bill Sheate
As countries slowly begin to emerge from lock-down, universities have been busy trying to work out what the new landscape will look like come the Autumn of 2020 and the new academic year. In this third post of what has now become a series, I’m looking ahead to anticipate what teaching and learning at universities might look like this next year and how that could impact on students’ and staff mental health and well-being……..[Read more]
by Bill Sheate
I’m delighted to be able to say that I will be getting back to offering face-to-face therapy physically in my clinic from Friday 12 June 2020. While remote therapy via Zoom has worked very well for many people, it is not appropriate for everyone or all occasions. People may not have sufficient privacy to be able to be themselves when at home, or to say what they want without fear of being overheard……[Read more]
by Bill Sheate
During this last week (which has been Mental Health Awareness Week) the theme, aptly, has been ‘Kindness’; the kindness experienced by many people over recent weeks – the kindness offered by others and to others - but also the need to be kind to ourselves. Self-compassion. It’s OK to feel sad, anxious or angry – these are normal human emotions, especially during times of crisis or difficulty. We can’t always be at the ‘top of our game’. Sometimes you need to give yourself the compassion you might normally reserve for others. To be kind to yourself; to give yourself a metaphorical (or even actual) hug! That can seem difficult, feeling perhaps as if we don’t deserve it. But how helpful is it to beat ourselves up for not coping; for not being ‘perfect’? (Tip: there is no such thing as ‘perfect’).
And now, as we begin to emerge from Covid-19 lock-down we may be discovering a whole new suite of emotions…….[Read more]
by Bill Sheate
The current Coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic has all the characteristics needed for generating high levels of concern and worry among the public and creating even more stress among those who already suffer from anxiety:
Uncertainty about what might happen
How might we be affected?
How severe might the impact be?
Concern about friends/love ones
Anxiety about the short- and medium-term future (e.g. if supposed to be taking exams, doing assignments, research, career, loss of work/income, paying bills, buying food)
All of these are key aspects of the coronavirus situation that cause us to ‘worry’……..[Read more]
