Looking after ourselves and each other

We have been following the development of the Coronavirus pandemic and the advice from the UK Government to ensure that we keep our staff, volunteers and the men we support safe.

We are aware this is a time of great uncertainty and anxiety for many people. We are doing all we can to keep our life-saving service open and available to the men who need it. Please read our News section for the latest updates.

We believe that it is important to take care of our mental health during this extraordinary and challenging time. We would like to share a few tips from our therapists that everyone can take note of, in the hope that they are useful in the coming weeks and months:

Keep in touch with your loved ones – while it is advised to avoid physical social contact, keeping in touch with people you love is very important. Use social media, texts, phone or video calls to do so. Have a chat about something other than the virus. Share ideas of what you are doing to keep busy at home.

Take some time off from social media and news channels – the constant flow of information can be anxiety inducing. If you find yourself feeling stressed by the media, take a break and look at the headlines from a trusted source once a day instead.

Try to maintain healthy habits – it is important that you maintain a healthy diet and some form of exercise if you can, even when you can’t get outside.

Treat yourself – try to do things that make you feel better about yourself or help you relax. Take this time at home to do things you haven’t had time for, such as reading books or watching films.

Try to remember some positive statements about the current situation for example: ‘This is a very serious situation but I’m doing everything I can to keep myself and the people I love safe.’ ‘If we follow the guidelines, we can hope that we will be back to normal soon.’ ‘The best thing I can do to help is to stay at home and contact my friends and family via texts or calls.’

Ask for help if you need it – if you find yourself experiencing suicidal thoughts, there is support available to you: Shout Crisis Text Line (text JP to 85258,) Samaritans, CALM. Men in the Liverpool area who are in suicidal crisis can be referred to us at James’ Place.