Mental Wellness during the COVID-19 Pandemic
By Ayanna Abrams, PsyD
Honestly, this COVID-19 pandemic has us all a little stressed out. We are all staying indoors, social isolating, and trying to find ways to deal with the reality of a global pandemic. We reached out to Dr. Ayanna Abrams, our favorite psychologist, for some tips on staying mentally well throughout the mandatory quarantines and self isolation. Check out her recommendations below.
Stay Connected
It is important that while physically distancing from others, to remember that you can stay as socially connected as you want to be! Use of social media apps, Zoom, Google Hangouts, WhatsApp, Sui, etc. all allow for us to stay connected to friends and family during times that we can't "see" them but could still use their support.
Create Consistency
Lost your routine? It can feel harder to intrinsically motivate yourself, and following routines helps us to have something to predict day to day. Whether it's waking up and going to sleep at the same time, getting dressed to begin our day, making sure to eat consistent meals, or an at home exercise regimen, having some structure is good for our brains and our bodies.
Feel the Feels
Noticing that your emotions are all over the place? That makes sense and is totally understandable. During crises, our brains play out various scenarios (sometimes worst-case ) and then tries its best to reconcile and feel better. You may move through feeling scare, in control, hopeful, responsible, worried, angry and helpless in a matter of minutes. Allow yourself to feel your feelings--remind yourself that feelings are fleeting even if intense, and that you CAN do something about your current moment.
Dig Deep
When things, circumstances, access, is taken from us, it gives us an opportunity to go INWARD and do some self work through self-reflection. Is there something you've wanted to learn? Watch? Read? This could be a time to really sit with yourself because your distractions are minimized. Boredom often leads to insight and creativity, even if a little distress comes first.
Seek Therapy for Additional Support
Many therapists have transitioned to online/phone therapy (called telemental health or telehealth) to continue to serve clients while adhering to physical distance mandates. Teletherapy has been researched as offering very similar support as in-person sessions, and now can be an opportunity to connect and broaden your support system. Use sites like psychologytoday.com, therapyforblackgirls.com, melaninandmentalhealth.com, or therapyforblackmen.org to get help today.
Set Your Boundaries
How you choose to cope is up to you. Doing what works to help relieve your distress and developing your own routines is important and unique to you. Set limits around how much news your ingest and who you talk to about COVID-19, to manage your anxiety and overwhelm. Pay attention to 2-3 helpful websites to access current and objective facts about the pandemic and set boundaries around time you spend on social media or watching the news.
