“I’m responsible for the emotional well-being of 12,000 UK National Health Service staff and I’ve never been busier! Being on MyMT is really helping though as it gives me a sense of control over one area of my life when the rest of it is chaos, stress and a lot of heartbreak.“
In my shout-out to Essential Workers, I told Dr Clare Wright that I would love to share her story with you. I love how MyMTâą connects me with remarkable mid-life women around the world, who have decided, as I did when I did my women’s healthy ageing research, that menopause is the time of life to change our lifestyle to match our changing hormones as we transition into the next phase of our lives.
It’s been long days and evenings for Clare as she shares her incredible skills, knowledge and compassion with 12,000 UK National Health workers.
Clare is a consultant clinical psychologist and systemic psychotherapist who works for an NHS health board in South Wales, looking after the emotional wellbeing of 12,000 staff. In response to the Coronavirus pandemic, she is visiting the Emergency Departments, Intensive Treatment Units, and hospital wards across 3 District General Hospitals and 3 community hospitals where COVID 19 positive patients are being cared for. She provides emotional support to staff on the frontline and guidance to their line managers on how to support their wellbeing and intervene if staff are struggling.
Remarkably, Clare has set up Recharge rooms in each hospital so staff have somewhere safe and comfortable to go if they need a bit of time away from their clinical areas. This is where they can talk to a trained counsellor for support. Working with others she is introducing initiatives to limit the emotional harm to staff of experiencing multiple bereavements, traumatic episodes and moral injury. Somewhere along the way, Clare also writes a weekly blog, provides training sessions on self-care and is generally on the end of a phone to help anyone who is struggling emotionally.
The emotional stress and chaos is “heart-breaking” says Clare, but in thinking of all of you and going through menopause herself, she understands how you might be feeling too.
Dr Clare, you are remarkable and on behalf of so many in the MyMT community, I can’t thank you enough for sharing some professional tips with all of us, so that we can not only look after our own emotional wellbeing during this time, but also be aware of how to help our families as well.
Corona-crisis Wellbeing Tips from Dr Clare Wright:
- Stay connected with people. Itâs important to keep in touch with friends, family and the people you love and who make you feel cared for at this time whether you do that by phone, internet, Face Time or talking over the garden fence to neighbours. Isolation is hard, so use whatever technology you can to stay connected with others.
- Be physically active. We all know we feel better after some exercise. You may have to change how you do this but find something you enjoy doing and do it! Even if that means running up and down stairs or round the garden or dancing to your favourite music.
- Remember there is a world beyond Covid 19. We need to keep ourselves informed but Covid 19 doesnât have to dominate everything we watch, do or talk about. Limit the amount of information you expose yourself to as it can become overwhelming and depressing. Make an effort to have fun, do things you enjoy within social distancing restrictions and think about something else.
- Give to others. Anxiety about our health, finances or future can make us a bit introspective. Look around you and see if there are others that could benefit from your help, or just a phone call. This can take us out of ourselves and create a wonderful, supportive environment in which to live and work. Talk to people you donât normally talk to. Ask others if they are ok.
- Pay attention to the current moment. Try not to let fears and concerns run away with you. Yes make practical plans around caring for yourself, your family etc. but keep focused on the here and now, the issues that are facing you today. We can worry about tomorrow then. Letâs get through this one step at a time.
Dr Clare Wright, UK
It’s been such a privilege to help Clare to help you. She has been on the MyMTâą Transform Me programme for a month now and in between all the chaos has managed to stay on track and lose weight.
“I am really enjoying the programme. It’s great to learn about the evidence base of what is going on. I was feeling so baffled and out of control with my weight. I’ve actually already lost 3kg since starting which seems incredible as I have been trying to lose weight and been still putting on, for over 12 months, even though I do a lot of exercise. You’ve now explained why and finally I’m feeling like I can take back some control.”
Please don’t forget that as my own support to you, I’ve taken NZ$50 off the cost of all of my three different 12 week online MyMT programmes. Circuit Breaker is for you if you are thinner or leaner. Transform Me is my menopause weight loss programme and my online 12 week exercise programme is called Rebuild My Fitness. These are now NZ$349 instead of $399 [approx. US$206, UKÂŁ165 or AUS$317]. There are monthly payments for 3 months as well. Please use the promo code JOIN MYMT when you purchase.
It would be my privilege to help you too.
Dr Wendy Sweet, PhD/ MyMT Founder & Coach/ Member: Australasian Society of Lifestyle Medicine.