We are here for staff who are affected by the situation in Afghanistan.

You may be working with refugees arriving in the UK, or you may have family and friends in Afghanistan and are finding the situation upsetting and stressful. Whatever your needs, the Keeping Well service is here to support you.

We know that many of our staff will be directly and indirectly affected by the situation in Afghanistan. This may be due to having family and friends who are trying to escape or are unable to, or by being reminded of their own past trauma.

Some ways you can look after yourself at this time include:

  • Weigh up what you can affect and what you can’t. Focus on what you can do and consciously accept what you can’t change. It can help to discuss this with someone, and say this acceptance out loud.
  • Once you know what you can do, for example raising money for charity, work on that trusting this will bring some relief to those that are suffering.
  • Don’t neglect yourself during this time. Stay healthy for those that need you. Eat healthy; keep exercising; sleep enough and keep connected to others.
  • Along with connection, don’t suffer alone. Talk to friends and family. Seek formal counselling if you think this will help.
  • Although it is tempting to look for news on social media, this can make you feel worse. Be careful about sharing upsetting stories, as this will likely upset others. Set aside a small part of your day to look at news, say 30 minutes, and try not to exceed this amount of time.

We are currently supporting staff who are helping refugees arriving from Afghanistan, including helping at Heathrow airport. We know that this work can be exhausting, stressful and may be distressing, for example hearing refugees talk about their experiences.

For health and social care staff, volunteers in North West London, if you need someone to talk to, get in contact with us today:

If you work in health and social care across Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes, access the Keeping Well Service BLMK.

Visit our self-help resource category

Advice and guidance for Afghanistan refugees on mental health, emotional wellbeing and maternal health (available in Farsi and Dari language) 

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