Seven ways to help keep your COVID-19 anxiety at bay this new year!
11 January 2022
With last minute summer plans, and COVID-19 cases rising, it has become nearly impossible to escape the anxieties that come with living through a pandemic.
But do not stress! We’re here to remind you that you don’t have to go through this alone, and there are plenty of precautions you can take to reduce your risk of becoming infected. Today we are providing seven tips on how to keep yourself and your family COVID-19 safe this new year!
1. Wear a mask
Wearing a mask is a great way to keep your anxieties at bay and help provide you with a little extra bit of protection in public settings. There are a bunch of really funky designs available. Why not get creative and sew them yourself?
2. Avoid large crowds and practice social distancing
If possible, try your best to avoid large crowds! For people who are unable to avoid large crowds (i.e., people in a customer facing industries), try your best to maintain social distancing.
Ways which you can avoid large crowds this includes going shopping early or later to avoid peak hour, catching up with friends and family members in an outside setting, limiting the amount of people you see this summer, working from home and having a quiet one in.
3. Maintain proper hygiene
By now, you’re probably well versed in how to wash your hands thoroughly and sanitise frequently.
Don’t know how? It’s never too late to learn! Check out this ‘handy’ tutorial by the World Health Organisation on how to wash your hands properly. We recommend washing your hands to the chorus of Dolly Parton’s feminist tune, ‘9-5’.
4. Use QR codes
Where possible, make sure to continue scanning QR codes when you enter shops, restaurants and other public venues. If you’re in a state that doesn’t require QR codes, make a mental or physical list of where you have been to keep yourself accountable and to help reduce your anxieties!
5. Get tested
Got a sore throat, or maybe you have a slight fever? Not sure whether it’s COVID-19 or allergies? When in doubt, get tested! It’s important to get tested all year round if you’re experiencing even the mildest of symptoms.
Click here to check out a map of all the COVID-19 testing clinics in Canberra.
Click here to check if any Rapid Antigen Tests are available near you.
6. Have a COVID-19 plan in place
With cases rising, chances are likely you may catch COVID-19. To help yourself out, make sure to have a plan in place to help things ticking along while you isolate yourself at home. Helpful things to have in hand include:
- pain relief and medication
- masks, hand sanitiser and gloves
- A plan for who can look after your children, pets or people in your care if you need to go to the hospital
- contacts of people you can call for assistance
- home activities
- A plan on how to get food and other essentials including frozen meals, pet food and baby needs.
7. Complete YWCA Canberra’s Cross-Sector Infection Control training
Want to do more? By undertaking YWCA Canberra’s free infection control training, you can complete a nationally recognised skill set to help you and your workplace be COVID safe.
We are currently offering BSBSS00095 Cross-Sector Infection Control as an online course. When you undertake our infection control training, you will learn:
- hand hygiene practices
- effective surface cleaning
- use of personal protective equipment (PPE)
- disposal of contaminated waste
- hazard identification, control and reporting
- appropriate protocols and responses in the event of an incident
- about the basis of infection and transmission.
For more information and to enrol, check out our training page.
Tags: community, covid-19, professional development, Training