It is a strange and unprecedented time at the moment. People are feeling uncertain, anxious, and confused about what's happening in the world and how to cope – including us at LETSS!

As part of our role at LETSS, we try to help people find strategies to manage what they're going through and given our lived experienced background, we also are finding many of our callers are interested in finding out about what strategies we use ourselves! So, we thought we would put together a piece with some of the things that have been helpful for us during this time!

• 1. Getting creative with social interactions

We get that at the moment, it is really tough not being able to interact with friends or family the way that you might normally. However, for us at LETSS, we have found it both entertaining and fun to swap stories of the creative ways we have kept in touch with our friends/family during this time. For instance, having a lunch date with friends via ZOOM or playing games with multiple friends on the House Party App. You can download the House Party app here.

• 2. Finding a new hobby

With most of our usual activities or hobbies either inaccessible or cancelled, many members of our team have found this a good time to try something new or something they have enjoyed in the past. For instance, some things include candle-making, baking, or yoga. We have also compiled a list of activities you can check out here if you are bored at home or in need some inspiration. Have some cool or unique ideas you would like to share? Let us know at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

• 3. Dressing up at home

With the COVID-19 restrictions, everyone is spending much more time at home than usual. Some days we might not leave the house at all! It is very easy to feel unmotivated or get into the mindset of "what's the point of getting ready if no one is going to see me and I'm not going anywhere – I'll just stay in my pyjamas!" We can't deny that there is something satisfying and awesome about staying in pyjamas all day long. However, we quickly realised that doing this every day can cause us to feel unmotivated. We have found that although we might not be going or seeing anyone, it can still feel good to do something nice for ourselves whilst getting ready in the morning. It doesn't have to be anything big but even putting on our favourite t-shirt or applying some nice-scented moisturiser can help us feel good!

• 4. Working out from home

Without access to gyms or our usual sporting activities, we have had to get creative about the ways we exercise. One excellent way to do this is from the comfort of your own home using workout videos. There are a plethora of workout videos that can be found for free on YouTube! If you a member of a gym, many gyms are also steaming free workouts on ZOOM. Do you know any good home work out videos? Let us know at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

• 5. Focus on what you can control

With so much anxiety and uncertainty at the moment, it can be very easy to get caught up in the wave of panic or feel out of control. We have discovered that one way to help us feel better and more in control is to focus on things that are within our control. For instance, some things we can't control may include other people's decisions or the government's actions. However, some things we can control are things like improving our resilience or eating well or how we choose to manage our stress. Focusing on what is in our control doesn't have to be major things. Sometimes it can be as simple as taking a moment and having a hot cup of tea or calling up a friend.

Overall, this is a stressful and strange time for everyone. We get it and we are here to support you during this tough period. If you would like some emotional support please give us a call at 1800 013 755 or start a web chat via www.letss.org.au

(Image from Unsplash by Nicole Wolf)