It is Important to Stay in Contact – Friends, Family and with Veterans.
Lots of us are feeling worried about the ongoing coronavirus and how it is affecting us. It would appear that the focus is often on physical health and statistics of people catching the virus, or dying from it. Its important to remember the impact on our mental health and ability to cope with the unseen impacts. You don’t need to be an expert on mental health to be there for a family member, a friend or even fellow military buddy who you know but haven’t spoken too for sometime. Some simple tips to follow:
Buddy Call: You might not be able to meet face-to-face, but picking up the phone, having a video call – zoom/skype/team etc, starting a group chat or messaging someone on social media lets them know you are there to talk and ready to listen if they need you.
The VCP has realised the importance of the Buddy Call system and our Veteran Support Workers are ringing other Veterans on a weekly basis to make contact and check in with them. If you are a Veteran and want to be on this Buddy Call – Simply call us on 02476343793 and we will call you back.
Listening & Understanding: Whether you have a mental health problem or not, this will be a challenging time for all of our mental health and wellbeing. If someone opens up to you, remember that you don’t need to fix things or offer advice. Often just listening, and showing them that you take them seriously, can help someone to manage. If you feel that this person is in immediate danger – ring the emergency services.
Asking questions Ask them how they are managing, and ask again if you’re worried they are not telling you how it really is. Asking again, and showing actual interest is called active listening, listening and caring can help someone to open up and let you know what they’re feeling.
The VCP is striving to be there for all of our Armed Forces Community, especially those across the Coventry, Solihull and Warwickshire Sub Region. We may not be a big charity with thousands of pounds at our disposal – but we a big enough to actually care and we will share what we have with you if you really need it.
Dont struggle in silence, if you are suffering from being socially isolated or just need a fellow veteran to talk to, to discuss how you are feeling and to share the common ground – ring us on 02476 343793 or email us support@veteranscontactpoint.co.uk
We care, we listen and we will get back to you.
