News from Nurse Jess
To our Yarrabah families,
Firstly I want to acknowledge the difficult time everyone is facing in our community. The uncertainty and the change to our day to day life seems relentless at the moment. It can be unsettling not knowing what lays ahead and how long this period of restrictions is going to last for us all. It’s important more than ever we be kind to ourselves and lower the expectations we have on ourselves especially in regards to remote learning. The wonderful staff at Yarrabah understand the challenging times you face ahead and understand that everyone is doing their best and that is all we can ask for during this time.
It’s important you continue to follow Government guidelines to ensure the health and safety of our community. Not travelling beyond 5kms from your home, wearing your mask whenever you leave your home and if feeling unwell contact your GP to discuss getting tested. If you do get tested it’s important you remain home until you receive your results even if you are asymptomatic, you must stay home. These are the things you can do to help our community get closer to returning to the things we enjoy doing. It’s not going to be easy but I know we can do it.
It’s important to remember that although we must physically distance from others that doesn’t mean we need to disconnect from our support systems. It’s important to stay in contact with friends and family via text or phone call to check in not only for their benefit but for yours as well. Never underestimate the positive impact of a phone call with a friend to turn around even the most challenging day.
A few years ago I attended a seminar run by The Resilience Project (look them up if you haven’t heard of them) and one of their aims is to teach the art of gratitude. A powerful skill that a lot of us lack at times. It inspired me to implement a simple gratitude task with my family each night. At the dinner table we have to acknowledge “the best part of our day” even if we had a pretty ordinary day it still forces us to highlight one aspect to remind us there is always something to be grateful for. During these long isolation days I challenge you to try pick one element you are grateful for it can be as simple as a hot cup of coffee. Encouraging your child to do the same is a great way to remain positive also. See the link below for an easy gratitude task for your child.
https://theresilienceproject.com.au/at-home/everyone/gratitude/kids/smile/
Continue to look after yourselves and I wish you all remain happy and healthy during this time. Look forward to seeing all the kids virtually again and will be posting my weekly “What’s news with nurse Jess” videos again!
Stay safe
Jess