Am I Still doing this right?
Caring for ourselves in unprecedented times
Louise Jones, MSW, RSW & Sarah Gatien, MSc., RD
“Am I still doing this right?” We have asked ourselves this question again and again as the pandemic has dragged on. The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way we work and live in unprecedented ways. This is also true for our patients. Some people are thriving, some are struggling, and many of us fall somewhere in between.
Louise provides counselling in her role as a social worker, and Sarah offers individual support in her role as a dietitian. Both of us have been connecting with patients by phone, the Ontario Telemedicine Network, and with masking, in person. We are hearing anxiety, fear, confusion, and most often, the need for reassurance and connection.
We offered “Am I doing this right?” over the course of three weeks in April and May 2020. It was a short, practical presentation outlining resources we are leaning on in our work as well as a few ways to think about and make sense of what is happening. We felt that it was time to update our original ideas and presented “Am I STILL doing this right?” in January 2021.
In our talk, we reminded people that not everything that we share will be relevant to you. That’s okay! We encourage you to take what you need and leave the rest.
Finally, the answer to “Am I still doing this right?” is up to you. If you are feeling well and doing the best you can, then yes, you are doing this right! If you are struggling, please contact the clinic for services or explore one of the many resources linked below.
Staying safe… or if you need to talk
- WarmLine
- Daily from 6 pm to midnight
- 1-866-856-9276
- Crisis Intervention (Health Sciences North)
- 24 hours/day
- (705) 675-4760
Resources for Mental Wellness
- BounceBack Ontario
- CMHA Sudbury Manitoulin
- Mindfulness on the Rocks Community Tasters
- HSN Mental Health & Addictions are now offering many therapy groups online: Self-refer by calling (705) 523-4988 ext. 4221
- Check if your school, college, university, NPLC, or family health team has counselling available.
- Find out if your workplace has an Employee Assistance Plan (or EAP).
- NISA has support groups online and telephone peer support: www.nisa.on.ca
- Narcotics Anonymous and Alcoholics Anonymous are running meetings locally, by phone, and there are meetings online: aa.org
- National Eating Disorders Information Centre phone and text counselling: nedic.ca
- Big White Wall
- CAMH peer to peer discussion forum
- Kids Help Phone
- National Eating Disorder Information Centre
Mental Wellness Apps
- Always There (Kids Help Phone)
- Calm
- HealthyMinds (for students)
- Mindshift
- Mood Mission (youth ages 12+)
- Woebot
Resources for Nutrition
- Accessing local food from local producers:
- Click Fork (ClickFork.ca)
- Farm to Table – Northern Ontario (Facebook)
- Order Fresh (OrderFresh.ca)
- Learn some new cooking skills:
- The Canteen Cooks (YouTube)
- President’s Choice (YouTube)
- Find a food bank or similar resource near you: Ontario *211 (211north.ca)
- Talk to a Registered Dietitian at Telehealth Ontario: 1-866-797-0000