TOPICS include the importance of mental and physical self-care, breaking down stigmas surrounding mental health and meditation.

Four videos are available now on YouTube and below in this article.

Contributors include clinical psychologist Dr Pennie Blackburn, mental health nurse Gill Allen, organisational and health resilience leader Amber Branny, and other mindfulness coaches. 

With a length of no more than 3.5 minutes, the videos should enable easy download for seafarers who may have restricted internet access and data allowance.

“Good mental health is just as important as good physical health and it is important that we take the time to check in on ourselves to assess how we feel,'' says Dr Blackburn. ``The pandemic has placed a huge strain on seafarers — both those stranded at sea and those hoping to join ship to support their families — many are suffering with the effects of that.

“These videos are an opportunity for seafarers to have a think about how they feel and to reflect on whether they may need some support. I would like to emphasise that if anyone feels like they are struggling or cannot cope, they reach out straight away to one of the many seafarers’ welfare groups.

“The support of family and friends as well as the people around us is an important part of our well-being. When you’re out at sea, access to natural support networks is more difficult and so there is a duty of care from the ship operators to put in place systems to support seafarers emotionally and mentally and enable them to keep in touch with their loved ones at home, especially during these extremely difficult times.”