Managing Mental Health During the COVID-19 Crisis

The world is in a panic and normal daily life is coming to a halt. The reality is that COVID-19 has become a fast-acting public health crisis. Because its impact varies from person to person, governments around the world are taking action in an attempt to slow the spread of the virus and, hopefully, get ahead of it.

Reactions from the general public have ranged from panicked to annoyed and everywhere in between. Whether you’re worried about the outcome of the virus spreading or irritated that life as we know it has been effectively put on pause, you’ll need to pay attention to your mental health during this stressful time.

 

Here are some tips for managing your mental health during the COVID-19 health crisis:

Let Go of What You Can’t Control and Focus on What You Can

The virus is here and you cannot control that. Events have and will be cancelled, school put on hold, daily life paused and so on. This, too, is not within your control. Also not within your control; how others react to the virus, how the media covers it, what your employer mandates for safety (if anything), the shortage of toilet paper and masks, inflated prices from online retailers on hand sanitizer…and it goes on. You get the idea.

You cannot directly control any of the external factors, it’s true, but that’s no different from anything else in life. What you can focus on is what is in your control, which usually relates to your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. Look at what you might be worried about and ask yourself, “is there anything I can do about this?”

Can you do anything about the virus? Not in the sense of stopping it from happening, no. You can, however, control your behavior in reaction to the spread of it as has been advised from health agencies. Wash your hands, keep distance from others in public, don’t go out unless necessary, avoid large gatherings, don’t touch your face, check the CDC website and talk with local health departments for strategies and tips, and remind yourself that you’re taking the precautions so that you’re in the most control possible.

 Be Open to Flexibility

I know not everyone will have access to the internet and that is certainly a barrier. However, if you do have access to the internet from home, be open to the idea of working from home, school from home, and even therapy from home. A great many schools have closed, workplaces are trying to implement working from home, and therapy offices—at least where I am—are considering telehealth (usually vido chat therapy) now more than ever. I mention this particularly with a focus on being able to continue therapy even when businesses and agencies are shut down to the public.

 Fight the Boredom

Events being cancelled, gatherings being shut down, and daily operations coming to a halt is going to start (if it hasn’t already) making people feel antsy about the lack of interaction and getting out of the house. As grim as this situation may be, there’s still room to press forward and keep spirits high. Do so by trying out some new hobbies or re-connecting with old ones.

These hobbies are ideally indoor and likely less social—don’t get me wrong, with the internet we still have a lot of social options. Start drawing, pick up a good book, get into a video game, start a home workout regimen, gather the immediate family in the home for board games, start/finish those craft projects, build that whatever you’ve been meaning to get back to. This is also a way of performing self-care to help you stay resilient in a tough time.

I don’t want to make light of this situation or diminish the seriousness in anyway. But life will move forward and we have to be able to keep going. Taking care of our mental needs will help us to push forward and past the struggles.

Most of all, I wish for everyone to stay safe and take care of themselves. I’m saddened by the loss our world has suffered already and I hope that this is nearing an end. My thoughts are with those who have a lot of unknowns heading their way related not only to the virus, but to jobs, childcare, food, bills…and anything else thrown into question at this time. I feel helpless at this time and the only thing I can do with the resources I have is post this article to hopefully give someone a little direction or peace of mind.

Stay well.