Support for yourself and others more important than ever

While Tasmanians have demonstrated incredible resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic with all its stresses, it is an important and timely reminder for people to take the time to look after their wellbeing.

It is understandable, and perhaps quite common, that some people may be worried as we move forward through the pandemic.

COVID-19 will continue to present challenges we have never had to deal with before, for some time yet.

I encourage all Tasmanians to reach out to family, friends and neighbours and make sure they are there for others they care about.

Maintaining a daily routine, engaging in activities and hobbies we enjoy and exercising in a safe and secure way are also important to keep Tasmanians mentally healthy.

It is important to understand the things we each need to feel safe and supported, to maintain and boost our mental wellbeing, and to know when we are struggling and need to reach out for help.

However we feel - and there are ups and downs - we're never alone, there are others going through the same thing.

We can each consider how we can better support one another, to build stronger connections to each other and within our community, not just during special awareness weeks, but every day.

A Tasmanian Lifeline - 1800 98 44 34 - is a call in/reach out service for any Tasmanian who may feel stressed, anxious about the future, finding the impacts of restrictions a challenge, or simply need a friendly and understanding voice to talk things over with.

This hotline is staffed from 8am to 8pm, seven days a week.

Tasmanians can also visit the Mental Health Council of Tasmania's website at mhct.org for information on how we can each take some preventative steps in our day-to-day lives to look after our own mental wellbeing and that of our loved ones.