Tina Arena and Jessica Rowe on impact of coronavirus pandemic on mental health
Tina Arena and Jessica Rowe have teamed up to ensure no one suffers alone with mental health issues during the global pandemic.
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ARIA award winner Tina Arena and former Studio 10 host Jessica Rowe have called for the destigmatisation of mental health during the global health crisis.
Rowe, who has spoken openly about her struggle with postnatal depression in the past, said the coronavirus pandemic will take a toll on mental health and no one should suffer in silence.
“Having gone through mental health issues myself, I never ever want to think of someone suffering on their own,” she said during a joint chat on Instagram.
“I felt like a failure, but came to realise I just simply had an illness that I needed help to get through. During the uncertainty, It’s easy to lean into fear and be unkind but now more than ever we need to lean into kindness.”
Arena, 52, recently revealed that like millions of Australians, she too has been affected by the COVID-19 crisis. She said meditation and gardening have helped her during this stressful time.
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“Yesterday was a really hard day and the day before, and I do verbalise it [but] if I don’t want to talk I might meditate or go in the garden or cook and it’s ok,” she said.
The Sorrento Moon hitmaker recently told Stellar that she’s struggling to pay her mortgage due to the health crisis, three years after paying $5.7 million for a sprawling mansion in Melbourne.
“I haven’t worked for a year and a half,” she said.
“This is a very serious thing for me. I’ve got a mortgage to pay. I had to tell the bank I need to freeze my loan, I can’t pay right now. I’m not going to panic about it - I’m not alone. There are millions of us who can’t afford to make those repayments right now. So the government needs to put things in place in order to protect us. We can’t all lose our homes at the same time, that’s not possible.”
Meanwhile Rowe, who is mum to daughters, Allegra, 13, and Giselle, 11, said her mental health has improved two years after leaving her job at Studio 10.
“I made quite a big choice two and a half years ago to leave my job at Studio 10 because
I wanted to be more present for my daughters and do work I could fit around my family,” she said.
“At the time people gave me quite a bit of slack about it and said it’s old fashioned. My choice was about leaning in for my family.
“I feel lighter and happier that I’m actually present. I was running on empty, juggling so much... thinking I had to have this great career, be a good mum and wife.”
Originally published as Tina Arena and Jessica Rowe on impact of coronavirus pandemic on mental health