Mental Health Tips during COVID-19
I can already tell - the emotional toll that this pandemic is going to have on our bodies
and our minds is going to last a long time - long past the date when our restrictions
are lifted and we are able to step outside of our homes. You cannot go through a
pandemic like this and not leave with some emotional scars. For those of us who are
connected to social media or the news, our minds and bodies are likely running in
overdrive right now. Even when the memories of this event begin to fade, our bodies
won’t forget - the price for being in overdrive will eventually need to be paid. For most
of us, the payments will be mild - difficulty sleeping, tense muscles, aches and pains,
headaches, cynical thoughts. For others, the payment may be more severe - flashbacks,
dissociation, poor appetite/overeating, sudden mood swings, depression, panic attacks.
and our minds is going to last a long time - long past the date when our restrictions
are lifted and we are able to step outside of our homes. You cannot go through a
pandemic like this and not leave with some emotional scars. For those of us who are
connected to social media or the news, our minds and bodies are likely running in
overdrive right now. Even when the memories of this event begin to fade, our bodies
won’t forget - the price for being in overdrive will eventually need to be paid. For most
of us, the payments will be mild - difficulty sleeping, tense muscles, aches and pains,
headaches, cynical thoughts. For others, the payment may be more severe - flashbacks,
dissociation, poor appetite/overeating, sudden mood swings, depression, panic attacks.
Although there are many things that are outside of our control, there are many things
we can do now to mitigate the costs we pay later. I would like to go over a few suggestions,
with the hope that some of these will prove useful to someone, somewhere. These
suggestions come from both research and my own experiences as a supervisor of marriage
and family therapists.
Stretch. My recommendation is that you take at least 10 minutes a day to stretch.
Take notice of the muscles that feel the most strained when you wake up or before
you go to bed and stretch them out. Stretching counteracts the natural tensing of
muscles that occurs when stressed and provides a useful distraction to news and
media.
Take a bath or shower at night. Both warm and cold baths/showers will benefit you in
different ways - cold baths/showers stimulate the immune system and lower your body
temperature, signaling that your body is ready for sleep. Warm baths/showers relax your
muscles and cleanse your pores, making you feel more comfortable as you sleep.
Enjoy the outdoors. Take at least 20 minutes a day to relax outdoors. During these
20 minutes, notice and enjoy your five senses - the wind or sun on your skin, the
sounds of birds or rustling leaves, the smell of flowers. Take it all in. Give thanks.
One activity that I found to be particularly invigorating is nature journaling. You can
learn more about nature journaling here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ayh_gUldfmc&feature=emb_title
Create something new. Do something that you have never done before. Pick up a
new hobby. It does not have to be anything major - go find some sticks, some rope,
and make a ladder out of lashings. Learn how to crochet, to play the guitar, start
writing that book you’ve always dreamed of. Producing something new, now matter
how small or seemingly insignificant it may seem, is intrinsically rewarding.
Get dirty. Get outside and do something with your hands. Mow the lawn, cut some
wood, start/care for a garden, fix your car. Staying active through manual labor is one
of the best ways to distract ourselves, to develop new skills, to get better sleep, and to
burn some calories. In addition, “getting dirty” helps meet our sensory needs, which is
especially important when we are required to socially isolate.
Play. When was the last time you actually played? Spontaneous, laugh out-loud playing?
Playing is so incredibly therapeutic. It puts you into an imaginary place, trying to overcome
difficult odds, to become the hero of your destiny. Obviously, the easiest people to play
with are children, but you don’t need children to have a spontaneous dance session with
yourself.
Note: Although I do not think video games or board games are bad (I actually really
love them myself), this is not the kind of play I am talking about. To get the maximum
therapeutic benefit, play needs to be spontaneous and free-flowing, not overly
repetitive, constricted, and rule-bound (or at least the rules should be developed by
you or those whom you are playing with, not a professional).
Set limits on technology. The Internet, by nature, has very few boundaries. That is why we
must set them ourselves. My recommendation is to only check the news, attend to social
media, play video games, check your texts, or your email during pre-assigned times during
the day (like every morning from 7am-8am). The key to keeping your boundaries solid is to
resist the pressures you will feel from your own internal dialogue (i.e., “it’s no big deal”, “I
wonder if they replied to my text yet”) and outside forces. If we are being honest, very few
things actually require our immediate attention. There’s nothing that feels better than the
integrity we feel of living within our own boundaries.
Attend to relationships. How are the people we care about the most doing right now? What
about those whom we haven't talked to in awhile? This is the perfect time to rekindle past
relationships or heal old wounds. If we are married, are we going on date nights? We do not
need to go out or spend money to have a meaningful time together. How are our children, our
nieces, our nephews, our parents, and our brothers and sisters doing? Although we may not
be able to visit them, we can call or video chat with them. Hand-written letters can soften the
hardest of hearts and draw you closer to just about anyone.
we can do now to mitigate the costs we pay later. I would like to go over a few suggestions,
with the hope that some of these will prove useful to someone, somewhere. These
suggestions come from both research and my own experiences as a supervisor of marriage
and family therapists.
Stretch. My recommendation is that you take at least 10 minutes a day to stretch.
Take notice of the muscles that feel the most strained when you wake up or before
you go to bed and stretch them out. Stretching counteracts the natural tensing of
muscles that occurs when stressed and provides a useful distraction to news and
media.
Take a bath or shower at night. Both warm and cold baths/showers will benefit you in
different ways - cold baths/showers stimulate the immune system and lower your body
temperature, signaling that your body is ready for sleep. Warm baths/showers relax your
muscles and cleanse your pores, making you feel more comfortable as you sleep.
Enjoy the outdoors. Take at least 20 minutes a day to relax outdoors. During these
20 minutes, notice and enjoy your five senses - the wind or sun on your skin, the
sounds of birds or rustling leaves, the smell of flowers. Take it all in. Give thanks.
One activity that I found to be particularly invigorating is nature journaling. You can
learn more about nature journaling here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ayh_gUldfmc&feature=emb_title
Create something new. Do something that you have never done before. Pick up a
new hobby. It does not have to be anything major - go find some sticks, some rope,
and make a ladder out of lashings. Learn how to crochet, to play the guitar, start
writing that book you’ve always dreamed of. Producing something new, now matter
how small or seemingly insignificant it may seem, is intrinsically rewarding.
Get dirty. Get outside and do something with your hands. Mow the lawn, cut some
wood, start/care for a garden, fix your car. Staying active through manual labor is one
of the best ways to distract ourselves, to develop new skills, to get better sleep, and to
burn some calories. In addition, “getting dirty” helps meet our sensory needs, which is
especially important when we are required to socially isolate.
Play. When was the last time you actually played? Spontaneous, laugh out-loud playing?
Playing is so incredibly therapeutic. It puts you into an imaginary place, trying to overcome
difficult odds, to become the hero of your destiny. Obviously, the easiest people to play
with are children, but you don’t need children to have a spontaneous dance session with
yourself.
Note: Although I do not think video games or board games are bad (I actually really
love them myself), this is not the kind of play I am talking about. To get the maximum
therapeutic benefit, play needs to be spontaneous and free-flowing, not overly
repetitive, constricted, and rule-bound (or at least the rules should be developed by
you or those whom you are playing with, not a professional).
Set limits on technology. The Internet, by nature, has very few boundaries. That is why we
must set them ourselves. My recommendation is to only check the news, attend to social
media, play video games, check your texts, or your email during pre-assigned times during
the day (like every morning from 7am-8am). The key to keeping your boundaries solid is to
resist the pressures you will feel from your own internal dialogue (i.e., “it’s no big deal”, “I
wonder if they replied to my text yet”) and outside forces. If we are being honest, very few
things actually require our immediate attention. There’s nothing that feels better than the
integrity we feel of living within our own boundaries.
Attend to relationships. How are the people we care about the most doing right now? What
about those whom we haven't talked to in awhile? This is the perfect time to rekindle past
relationships or heal old wounds. If we are married, are we going on date nights? We do not
need to go out or spend money to have a meaningful time together. How are our children, our
nieces, our nephews, our parents, and our brothers and sisters doing? Although we may not
be able to visit them, we can call or video chat with them. Hand-written letters can soften the
hardest of hearts and draw you closer to just about anyone.
The list is, by no means, exhaustive, but it is a start. When we are in a state of overdrive, the
last thing we want to do is do the things on this list. That is because these things are not urgent
and because auto-pilot is usually the result of being in overdrive. But if we do not take the time
and initiative to override our natural tendencies, we may regret the price we pay later on.
last thing we want to do is do the things on this list. That is because these things are not urgent
and because auto-pilot is usually the result of being in overdrive. But if we do not take the time
and initiative to override our natural tendencies, we may regret the price we pay later on.
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