Look after yourself and others | New Zealand Red Cross

Wellbeing during COVID-19

Since the COVID-19 pandemic begun, we have learnt a lot about COVID-19. For example, we know that hygiene measures, contact tracing, physical distancing and wearing face coverings can help to keep us all safe from the virus. However, the ongoing situation has had an effect on personal wellbeing with some being more affected than others. With this in mind we are continuing our focus on staying safe, keeping connected and looking after each other.

We can do this!

Download our flyer of wellbeing tips here.

Here are some more ideas for how you can keep well:

Talk to people you can trust. It is normal to feel stressed, confused, scared or angry during a crisis.
Limit worry and agitation. Spend less time watching or reading the news.
Be aware that not everything you hear about the virus may be true. Use information from trusted sources.
Take time out. Do things you enjoy and remember it’s okay to take a break.
Maintain a healthy lifestyle. Eat well, get plenty of sleep, exercise and stay in touch with family and friends.
Deal with any emotions you have in a healthy manner. Have a plan of where to go for help with your physical and mental wellbeing.
Be kind. Showing you care can make a big difference.

If you need someone to talk to call 1737 to talk to a trained counsellor, 24 hours a day.

Join the Wellbeing Challenge

What can you do every day to keep well? Take our wellbeing challenge to connect, get active, learn and give. You can also encourage your friends, family and workmates to take this challenge!

Mental Health and Wellbeing Courses

We offer a range of mental health and wellbeing courses to help you look after yourself and others during times of stress. Click here for further information.

Bereavement during COVID-19

The loss of a loved one is always a difficult time. When it happens during a pandemic that has severely impacted travel and the ability for people to come together and grieve as they would under normal circumstances, it can cause even more distress.

While there are no easy answers to this situation, it can be helpful to know more about how grief can affect us, options to consider when you or others can’t be physically present at a funeral, and where you can find support.

Download our resources below for further information.

When a death occurs during COVID-19.pdf (PDF)

Overseas bereavement during COVID-19.pdf (PDF)

Supporting young people through a bereavement during COVID-19.pdf (PDF)

Parents supporting children through bereavement during COVID-19.pdf (PDF)

Further information and support

For further information on the New Zealand COVID-19 response please click here.

Further information on mental health and wellbeing can be found on the Mental Health Foundation website. Click here to view.

COVID-19 information in different languages

The best place to keep up to date about COVID-19 is the New Zealand government website Unite Against COVID-19. The government website has COVID-19 information in 38 different languages.

New Zealand Red Cross has worked with our community partners to translate:

COVID-19 information into 8 languages which are not available on the government website. (Burmese, Chin, Kayah, Kinyarwanda, Nepali, Oromo, Rohingya, Zolai)
Information about the COVID-19 Protection Framework (referred to as the “traffic light system”) into 3 languages (Dari, Karen, Pashto) Information in these four languages is available on the government website but does not include a summary of the traffic light system.

The translated information is published below in a PDF format. The translations were done in November 2021 and are not continuously updated. The following English documents were used for the translations: