Further to my first blog re Testing times, please see below my suggestions for Coping with Change.

Apart from eating as well as possible and taking some exercise, my suggestions could be summed up in three words. Support and emotional hygiene.

Find support from family or friends. If family are driving us mad, speak to a friend or chat virtually. I have learned Zoom in the last week, and on this platform, I have spoken to more people and neighbors than I have previously done so for months.

I also feel that it is very important to take care of our emotions daily, (emotional hygiene) like we would care for our bodies. To understand how we are feeling and to express these feelings appropriately, is the key. This enables us to be in a position to move on in a good way.

To look after our minds, we can mediate or just take time to reflect on our day. What were the highs and lows?

We could also consider keeping a journal to track our feelings, which can let us blow off steam! I personally have done this every week for years and found it enormously useful.

We could also share our feelings with are nearest and dearest and encourage them to tell us how they are doing.

If you are working from home, consider having your CV and LinkedIn profile professionally updated. If there are changes to the employment landscape, which I read there will be, at least this puts one in a position to be ready for changes if they materialize.

We could also dare to choose hope. Choose to look forward to a time when life will feel good again or feel better than it is now, more hopeful.

My last suggestion is to not ignore this process or these suggestions. Consider taking at least one on board.