Many people may be experiencing increased anxiety, stress and low mood because of the coronavirus pandemic and the ensuing lockdown. This is natural and understandable given uncertainties and fears about the disease, concern about loved ones, worries about impact on education and employment, and the effects of isolation and changes in routine.

It is important to look after your mental health. Here are some suggestions on how best to cope with stress and anxiety at this difficult time:

Stay socially connected:

Keep in touch with the people closest to you, through whatever means that you can, including phone calls, social media, messages and video calls. It is especially important to talk to friends and family about anxiety and difficult feelings to get support.

Maintain a healthy lifestyle:

Your daily routines may look quite different but that doesn’t mean your diet and sleep patterns need to suffer. Keep up regular exercise, for example, try online exercise classes or home exercise videos on YouTube.  Make sure you have 3 regular meals a day and a good routine of going to bed and getting up at the same time. Keep Active: Keep busy doing the things that are important and interesting for you. Learn something new- there are many free courses online including those at  There are also some ideas for indoor activities here:

Avoid spending most of your time searching for updates and news:

Whilst you want to keep on top of the news, checking the web/social media for updates regularly is likely to generate more anxiety. Sign out of social media news channels and notifications on your phone and stay in touch with developments less regularly. Plan to check at specific times, perhaps just once or twice a day.

Here is additional advice on coping with anxiety about COVID-19 and lockdown:

https://www.who.int/docs/default-source/coronaviruse/mental-health-considerations.pdf?sfvrsn=6d3578af_8

Coping with Bereavement

If you have lost someone dear to you, here are some specialist sources of help and advice:

https://www.cruse.org.uk/, email helpline@cruse.org.uk, telephone 0808 808 1677

An online community here: https://community.sueryder.org/

Sources of information on COVID-19:

For general coronavirus advice – https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/

The World Health Organisation has launched a dedicated messaging services in English, and Spanish with partners WhatsApp and Facebook providing the latest news and information on coronavirus including details on symptoms and how people can protect themselves and others.

Spanish- Send “hola” to +41 22 501 76 90 on
WhatsApp wa.me/41225017690?text=hola

English- Send “hi” to +41 79 893 18 92 on
WhatsApp wa.me/41798931892?text=hi
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