DT News: Surgeon General on how we can maintain and support our mental and physical health
Video / May 1st, 2020
Transcript
(Shelley Van Hoof) Welcome to Defence Team News filming on-location from my home. Like many Defence Team members, my new reality is teleworking and physical distancing to help reduce the spread of COVID-19.
Today, Major-General Andrew Downes, Surgeon General and Commander of Canadian Forces Health Services Group joins me to speak more on how we can maintain and support our mental and physical health in these stressful circumstances.
Thanks so much for joining us, sir. I hope you're doing well and staying healthy both mentally and physically.
(MGen Downes) Thank you very much. I appreciate the opportunity to speak to you today.
(S) What type of strategies would you suggest to Defence Team members to maintain their mental health while working from home?
(MGen Downes) Well, I think everybody’s a bit different. The stressors that people have when they’re at home are different. Some people have children running around the house. Some people do not. But I think in all of this, I think it’s important that people know themselves, that they take time to think about what’s important to them, and to take the opportunity to both relax and do things that are interesting to them. I think looking after family, if you have family immediately with you. Or reaching out to friends and family through virtual means is very important. I think we, as humans, need contact with other people. In these abnormal times we have to use other tools and other means of having social interactions.
(S) Is there anything else you’d like to add?
(MGen Downes) I would just like to highlight that throughout all of this as we do return to a more normal routine, we’re going to have to continue paying attention to things like good hand hygiene, to cough and sneeze etiquette, where everyone coughs or sneezes into a tissue or into ones elbow. We’re still going to need to be very vigilant to not inadvertently spread COVID-19 to others around us. If we can all do that, that is going to make a huge difference in our return to a normal posture.
(S) Thank you so much for joining us, sir.
(MGen Downes) You’re very welcome, it’s my pleasure.