The Illawarra Shoalhaven Local Health District is providing mental health support for Shoalhaven businesses after the bushfires and during the pandemic.
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The health district is running five weekly wellbeing sessions which started on May 7 and run every Thursday, with local business owners joining in virtually via zoom.
The forums cover topics like dealing with challenge and uncertainly, self care, understanding stress and how to reach out for help.
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Shoalhaven mental health bushfire recovery coordinator Bronwyn Lunt said businesses in the area are doing it pretty tough and her colleagues started to notice the mental health impacts.
"We really noticed the impact social distancing had on local business on top of the stress they were already experiencing," Ms Lunt said.
"We were looking at those pressures people were experiencing and realised we could actually do something to shore people up and prevent those stresses from getting bigger."
She said there had been an increasing number of people coming forward with mental health issues in the Shoalhaven over the past few months.
"Stress is a cumulative thing and the Shoalhaven has taken a pretty major hit this year with fire, then in some cases flood and now our coronavirus restrictions," she said.
"And we're seeing that impacting for people, often raising past traumas or past experiences as well and lowering people's baseline for mental wellness."
Bronwyn and her colleague Louise are also happy to come into individual businesses and offer mental wellbeing support in small groups or to individuals.
The health district operates a bushfire recovery and COVID-19 mental health support line where anyone can reach out if they are feeling overwhelmed or need to reach out to someone.
The support line operates between 8:30 - 4:30 Monday to Friday and can be reached on 4424 7888.