Mental wellbeing support as important as physical during coronavirus pandemic, say Slimming World

Getting support to manage your mental as well as physical wellbeing is more important than ever as we all adjust to life during the coronavirus outbreak, say Slimming World.  

Slimming World Public Health Manager Carolyn Pallister says: “In these challenging times, we know that people will be feeling more worried and anxious than usual, and these feelings could have an impact on us making healthy choices. We may find that we slip easily into old habits around food and drink as routine goes out of the window and it may be more difficult to stay active. Keeping a healthy routine so that you stay fit and well is more important, not less, right now though, so getting support to manage your emotional health is vital.” 

That’s why Slimming World is continuing its support for Public Health England’s (PHE) Every Mind Matters campaign, which aims to change the way people think about mental health and empower them to take positive steps to help themselves and each other, and sharing new expert tips and guidance on managing mental wellbeing during the coronavirus outbreak with its members.

Slimming World’s unique formula is built on compassion, care and understanding, and the organisation remains passionate about supporting members to make healthy changes to improve their mental wellbeing as well as their physical health.

Already, to support its members since the UK and Ireland went into lockdown last month, Slimming World has launched a new temporary virtual service, which includes access to a weekly virtual group using video conferencing platform Zoom. Members have been invited to join the virtual service to continue to get support to make healthier food choices and find new ways to stay active indoors. By getting together members are able to share support and stories of how they are all managing in the lockdown. The emphasis is on building and staying in control of healthy new lifestyle habits when it might not be as easy as it is under normal circumstances – members share ways to make groceries go a bit further, and easy ways to shop, cook and eat healthily at a time when access to food is changing. All of this is combined with ongoing use of social media, and access to Slimming World’s app and member-only website LifelineOnline, offering practical support, as well as inspiration and motivation to stay physically active and psychologically strong.

Carolyn says: “The virtual groups give our members not only vital weight management support, but also the friendship and community spirit they find at our groups each week. Members talk about the new challenges they’re facing, share their achievements despite the difficult times and work together to develop new strategies to manage their weight in the current climate.

“On top of this, we hope sharing the Every Mind Matters resources will provide another support tool to help our members to stay committed to the changes they’ve already made towards living a healthier life.”

The brand-new Every Mind Matters online resources include expert advice and top tips on how to look after your mental wellbeing if you need to stay at home during the coronavirus outbreak. It also includes guidance if members of the public are feeling worried or anxious during the current climate. Slimming World are sharing these with members via Consultants, their social media channels and websites. You can also find them here: https://www.nhs.uk/oneyou/every-mind-matters/  

Slimming World is also supporting PHE in appealing to people to stay home in order to protect the NHS and save lives.