Change is stressful already but when there is a huge change in a blink of eye. Now THAT is quite stressful. Covid-19 also known as the corona virus, no, I’m not talking about the beer, but I’m talking about this virus that changed our lives. Where to keep everyone safe business closed, putting people on a temporary layoff or worse got laid off for good. Changes where we are required to stay home for an amount of time. For how long? We have no idea. Sure, it’s great at first where you have a couple of weeks to get things done and catch up on stuff that you need to. But what about after being stuck at home for weeks on end with no interaction with people? Many people are fine with it and many are not. Some live with others and some do not.
I am an introvert but sometimes I am an extrovert. I like the isolation and being by myself, but I also like being with people. the thing about isolation, though, is you are inside your head way too much. So, what can you do to cope with your mental health during this pandemic time? What are some ways you cannot go deeper into the hole you are already in? Those are the questions, aren’t they? I have been in isolation and quarantine since March. I’ve spent my birthday by myself and spent a lot of time by myself. Of course, I did not mind at first but in all honesty, it’s getting to me. I have felt like I was spinning into a deep dark hole, like I was before.
With this pandemic you may experience stress, anxiety, fear, sadness and loneliness. And mental health disorders, including anxiety and depression, can worsen. What you need to do is to learn self-care strategies and get the care you need to help you cope. Self-care strategies are good for your mental and physical health and can help you take charge of your life. Take care of your body and your mind and connect with others to benefit your mental health.
Maintaining a regular schedule is important to your mental health. In addition to sticking to a regular bedtime routine, keep consistent times for meals, bathing and getting dressed, work or study schedules, and exercise. Also set aside time for activities you enjoy. This predictability can make you feel more in control. For instance, I keep my normal work schedule 8am-5pm since I work from home during this time. I take my normal lunch break. I shower like I am getting ready for work and keep my bedtime and set my alarms at the same times, doesn’t mean I don’t oversleep sometimes, ok all the time. point is. Keeping your normal routine will help with anxiety and mental health. Constant news about COVID-19 from all types of media can heighten fears about the disease.
Limit social media that may expose you to rumors and false information. Also limit reading, hearing or watching other news, but keep up to date on national and local recommendations. Look for reliable sources such as the CDC. With the pandemic your anxiety and mental health are already on alert from what is going on. So, when you hear about the stats of the amount of deaths or people infected anxiety and the fear may increase. The best way to avoid that is to limit the viewing of the news and social media. When you do that then you can focus on controlling your emotions and your mental health. You’d have all these negative thoughts roaming around in your head from everything you see on the news and on social media.
So, what you need is a distraction which can get you away from the cycle of negative thoughts that feed anxiety and depression. Enjoy hobbies that you can do at home, identify a new project or clean out that closet you promised you'd get to. Doing something positive to manage anxiety is a healthy coping strategy. I avoid the news even before the pandemic came around. Watching the news tends to increase my anxiety and fears. I already have enough to deal with in my head why worsen it with what is being said on the news?
While I have been in quarantine and even though I keep my routine with work and school, all from home and online, I was able to start gaming a little bit. That is a good stress reliever. I stream so I am also able to talk to people in my chat on my channel and with people I game with. I mainly play fortnite when I game. There are a lot of bright colors in fortnite so that helps with the mind not going dark. You are shooting at people and eliminating them which can help with stress and anxiety. What I do is look at each character as a stressor. Such as work, school, people that annoy me, things I can’t control, my past, and so on. So, when I eliminate those characters, I feel so much satisfaction and release of stress. Plus, it looks cool when I’m streaming. So, that’s a bonus.
Positivity is very important with mental health. Choose to focus on the positive things in your life, instead of dwelling on how bad you feel. Consider starting each day by listing things you are thankful for. Maintain a sense of hope, work to accept changes as they occur and try to keep problems in perspective. When you have a mental illness, it is difficult to think positive. Your mind goes to this dark place and thinks of the worst-case scenario which puts you in more of a dark hole. The hardest part is getting yourself out of that hole. Talking to someone helps with that. Whether it be a friend or a therapist. They can help you talk yourself out of that dark place but that depends on who you trust to open up that door to. Many people have a hard time trusting people. I am one of those people. I have been screwed over so many times when I open up that I quit opening up and the only person I REALLY open up to is my therapist. There are a few people that I am able to talk to about a few things but not the really deep stuff. Every time I did that the information those “friends” gathered would use it against me or they just leave which makes me feel even lonelier, unworthy and not good enough. The results were that I quit trusting and I quit letting people in. I quit talking because I feel I can’t talk. So, I don’t. it’s safer that way. Not just for me but for everyone. Instead to redirect that energy is I listen to people and I encourage and help others to think positive and to speak up because I know what it feels like to not have that option. I make sure others know that I am an option for them. Thinking positive even of the littlest things can help with mental health. Such as how the sun is shining, and the birds are chirping. How cute the animals are across the street trying to get the squirrel. Little things help with the big things.
If you draw strength from a belief system, it can bring you comfort during difficult times. Prayer is a good way to draw strength. I was raised Christian and went to private schools. I prayed a lot. I even volunteer for a Christian organization that encourages prayer to help these children that are in the foster care system due to abuse and neglect. We teach them to draw that strength through prayer and each other. Some people prayer may not work for them. They may not pray because of their faith or because they believe prayer doesn’t work. they think the strength come from within not from a higher power. Where you draw your strength is up to you. It can come from others or from a higher power. That’s up to you.
Don't become overwhelmed by creating a life-changing list of things to achieve while your home. Set reasonable goals each day and outline steps you can take to reach those goals. Give yourself credit for every step in the right direction, no matter how small. And recognize that some days will be better than others. Life changes constantly. There are things that will happen that is out of your control. That is how life is. How you deal with it is how your mind will be. if you are someone that has a hard time with change. Take baby steps. Such as when all of a sudden, we became quarantined start with keeping your routine. Little successes will help with the transitioning of change. Keep in mind there will be days where you will feel like a failure that you are lower than you were yesterday and with a mental illness a lot of times that will go into the next day and you start thinking that your life ruined or bad. STOP. RIGHT. THERE. Your life isn’t bad. You just had a bad day. Pick yourself up by looking at the next day as a new day. Train your brain to think positive. Wake up with this thought “this is a new day! I’m going to rock it today! I’m going to clean! I’m going to take a bubble bath and I’m going to be awesome!” ok, sometimes our plans for that day doesn’t pan out, because, you know, life happens. Sometimes we need to have lazy days too! Be in bed and watch Netflix, eat ice cream and hang out in our pajamas. I mean, I watch Netflix while I work and work in my pajamas. I have my pajamas that I sleep in and I get up and shower and change into my pajamas that I work in. That way I am staying with my routine like I’m going to work.
Building connections to the outside world will help staying out of the dark. If you need to stay at home and distance yourself from others, avoid social isolation. Find time each day to make virtual connections by email, texts, phone, or FaceTime or similar apps. If you're working remotely from home, ask your co-workers how they're doing and share coping tips. Enjoy virtual socializing and talking to those in your home. Even though I’m an introvert and I am the isolation champion, I make connections to the outside world. I’m on social media talking to people, snap chatting, texting, emailing, and so on. I even got involved with this charity even with people from all over the world. Do you know who Misha Collins is? He is an actor best known for his character on Supernatural (my absolute favorite show of all time. HUGE fan), Castiel. He is founder of this virtual scavenger hunt called GISH. The proceeds from the registration fee goes to random acts of kindness. Each hunt has a team of 15 people. we all work together to complete these tasks from stuff we have at home and post it on the website. It’s a way to bring out your creativity, be weird and meet new people. I did my first Gish hunt in April and my team was amazing and we all became friends. Well the next hunt is in a few weeks and we are all on the same team again. I was able to find a community and meet new people from all over the world and still do good during this pandemic time. Not only does that give me something to focus on other than what’s in my mind but it helps me focus on something fun and creating these new connections. (if you want to know more about GISH you can email me).
Stress is a normal psychological and physical reaction to the demands of life. Everyone reacts differently to difficult situations, and it's normal to feel stress and worry during a crisis. But multiple challenges daily, such as the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, can push you beyond your ability to cope. Many people may have mental health concerns, such as symptoms of anxiety and depression during this time. And feelings may change over time. Despite your best efforts, you may find yourself feeling helpless, sad, angry, irritable, hopeless, anxious or afraid. You may have trouble concentrating on typical tasks, changes in appetite, body aches and pains, or difficulty sleeping, or you may struggle to face routine chores. When these signs and symptoms last for several days in a row, make you miserable and cause problems in your daily life so that you find it hard to carry out normal responsibilities, it's time to ask for help.
Hoping mental health problems such as anxiety or depression will go away on their own can lead to worsening symptoms. If you have concerns or if you experience worsening of mental health symptoms, ask for help when you need it, and be upfront about how you're doing. Having people to open up to about your feelings is important for your mental health. Such as a therapist, a friend, a pastor or even a family member. I, myself, see a therapist each week. We talk about my highs and my lows. We talk about this pandemic and how it’s affected me. I get things off my chest and we talk about it. I must tell you; it helps tremendously when I talk with my therapist. If I didn’t have that I have no idea how I would or where I would be. She is definitely helping me cope with not only the pandemic but with life. She’s good at that.
You can expect your current strong feelings to fade when the pandemic is over, but stress won't disappear from your life when the health crisis of COVID-19 ends. Continue these self-care practices to take care of your mental health and increase your ability to cope with life's ongoing challenges. Just remember to not lose yourself in this pandemic. YOU BE YOU!
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