How to Weather the COVID-19 Pandemic
Feeling scared, anxious, depressed, isolated, overwhelmed? It's normal to have these
feelings, and many others, during these uncertain times. It's absolutely normal for
us to respond emotionally and physiologically to a perceived threat. Not all mental
health symptoms are evidence of illness, but can be normal responses to an abnormal
event.
A world-wide pandemic is an abnormal, traumatic event. Our bodies can respond to this
traumatic event by getting ready to fight, flee, freeze or attend. Trauma research
has proven that in addition to fight or flee, this sudden shift in our sense of safety
can make us freeze (which can look and feel like depression) or the intense need to
connect with others (attend). It helps to know that we are all in this together. We
will come out of this pandemic even stronger. There is life after COVID-19!
Check out a few suggestions to weather the pandemic and some resources with great
wellness strategies:
Be kind to yourself. Don't judge. Notice your feelings and don't judge them. Feelings
are not good or bad, they just are. Start a journal of your experiences. Experts believe
journaling is a great way to get some relief. Get the ruminating thoughts out of your
brain and down on paper.
Take control where you can. In what feels like an out-of-control situation, it is
important to take control over even the small things. This means setting a daily routine
and sticking to it. Get up, get dressed, take a walk, breathe outside air, clean out
a closet ... any constructive activity where you have control over the beginning,
middle and end.
Go on media diet. Limit your news and social media intake to a few minutes twice a
day. Listening over and over to the same scary stories just makes us more anxious.
Often these are the same stories repeated multiple times and do not reflect what is
truly happening.
Some other resources:
- American Medical Association: Managing Mental Health During COVID-19
- Suicide Prevention Lifeline: Emotional Well-Being During the COVID-19 Outbreak
- The Jed Foundation: COVID-19 and Managing Mental Health (children and teen resources)