How alumni are coping with COVID-19 We asked some of our university community to share their thoughts on life during the pandemic. Hear how it's affecting them, the people around them, their work and more.
Rachel’s rules for a healthy mind
Norman’s new normal
Rachel Tomlinson is a psychologist focused on individual wellness, child development, parenting, and building strong families and relationships. She is also the author of Teaching Kids to be Kind - A Guide to Raising Compassionate and Caring Children and founder of the website towardwellbeing.com
Principal of Murray High School in Lavington, NSW Norman Meader has guided his school community through COVID-19 with his eyes set firmly on keeping things moving forward and as close to normal as possible.
Through her work, Rachel is all too aware of the toll COVID-19 is taking on people’s mental health. “People have been overwhelmed, worried and stressed because there is so much unknown and outside of our control. Losing our sense of routine, being under financial strain and being socially isolated can produce a threat response in the brain. It has be a really tough time for a lot of people. “I work predominantly in the child development space and hear people saying things like, ‘Kids are too little to understand’ – inferring that kids are somehow protected from the impact of COVID. But when children don’t understand something, like why they can’t visit the park anymore or see their friends, they use their imagination to connect the dots and often what they imagine is far worse than reality. So, I’ve been working on resources to support other professionals, families and parents to talk to their children about COVID-19 and support their mental wellbeing.” Rachel says the key during these tough times is connection and routine. “Social distancing doesn’t have to mean social isolation. Ensure you maintain contact with friends and loved ones and get creative about connecting. Try and keep your routine as consistent as possible so you feel better in control. Also, use the time as an opportunity to look after yourself. “I would also recommend practicing mindfulness and have a great script on my website for taking a mindful walk.”
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Thrive
“It’s amazing how even a small degree of reliability and predictability can help in a time of difficulty. “I think one of the most useful supports for our community has been to keep practices as close to normal as possible. At the same time, we’ve erred on the side of maximum flexibility to meet the professional, social and emotional needs of students, parents and teachers.” According to Norman, people have risen to the occasion. “In many ways COVID-19 has brought out the best in people – students have a ‘get on with it’ attitude to their learning and teachers have gone to extreme lengths to ensure that they’re continuing to provide high-quality learning experiences for students. And our school families have done a tremendous job of keeping progress going amidst challenging circumstances.” When asked about the other positives to come from COVID-19, Norman thinks there’s some lessons for life and education. “I’m hoping that we see an emergence of compassion across the globe and that we focus more on the human aspects of navigating our way through life as a result of the COVID ‘wake-up’ call reminding us just how fragile we all can be. “What COVID has done for our education systems is provide us with a broader range of tools that we can draw upon as we continue to change. In my own school context, it has heightened the focus on how we provide broader access to information technology and how this might be used to maximise student engagement and achievement."
