Here are six general tips they offered for weathering this challenging time.
1. Practice mindfulness.
It’s important to pay attention to your mental health now because of the potential lasting impacts the virus could have. To practice mindfulness, take note of how much news you’re consuming, be aware of what you’re eating, and how much you’re sleeping. It’s also good to accept that things are different right now, and that’s OK.
2. Adjust expectations.
While it’s great to start on new creative projects, find ways to help others, or learn a new skill, it’s also acceptable to just focus on getting through.
It’s especially easy for parents to hold high standards while working full-time and helping their kids keep up with schoolwork, but those expectations aren’t realistic. Cut yourself some slack. One way to help kids feel less stressed is to dedicate a chunk of undivided time to them every day, he said.
3. Set your intentions.
Setting intentions means feeling better down the line. At the beginning of the pandemic, it was easy to stress eat chocolate and ice cream, but people have to think “OK, in six weeks or eight weeks, what’s that going to feel like? What’s that going to be like for me?”
While stress-eating is one example, this could look different for everyone: “It could be food, it could be alcohol, it could be pornography, it could be video games, it could be whatever people are doing to soothe themselves during this situation.”
But the key thing to keep in mind is how that activity affects your mood. It’s important to ask yourself “if this is what I do for the next two months, is that going to feel good? If not, how do I want to spend the next two months?”
4. Help out where you can.
Even though tensions are running high, keep in mind that everyone is struggling. Little gestures, like social distancing or wearing masks, can be empowering.
5. Build resilience.
One way to promote resilience in your life is taking time to reflect.
If everybody could identify and reflect on what has helped them manage and maintain a sense of efficacy or control during challenging times in the past and make time for those activities — whether it’s being in nature, talking with loved ones, or exercising — then they may be able to better maintain their well-being during this crisis.
It’s important to acknowledge that being stressed, anxious, or sad during right now is normal and those feelings do not need to be “fixed or changed.”
Some aspects of resilience come from “just experiencing your feelings without trying to get rid of them.”
6. Focus on the moment.
If you catch yourself being self-critical of how you’re handling day-to-day demands try to imagine what a friend would say to you about the difficult situation you’re in. Give yourself that same compassion.
Our minds prefer to settle on the worst-case scenario rather than not knowing what’s next.