Maintaining your Mental Well-Being
“Just because we are self-isolating doesn’t mean we need to truly isolate ourselves.”
It is imperative that we understand what this truly means. The nature of COVID-19 has put us in a situation where isolation has become the norm. We have been left alone with our thoughts, constantly reflecting on who we are and what we have accomplished in our lifetimes. Facing these truths can be healing for some and draining for others, and it is up to you to make that choice. Here are some easy ways you can take care of your mental well-being without being overwhelmed.
Keep a Schedule
Keeping a schedule allows you to continue taking part in your usual activities, even if they are limited. Having set times in the day to dedicate to certain activities can tremendously help your mental well-being, as you can try to closely mimic your pre-COVID daily routine as much as possible.
Some examples include:
- Gardening
- Catching up on weekly digests
- Speaking to your neighbor (while still practicing social/physical distancing)
- Knitting
- Arts and Crafts
Stay Productive
The overwhelming thoughts that come along with isolation can be attributed to having too much time to overthink. By staying productive in your free time, you are limiting the chance of falling into a rabbit hole of negative thoughts. Give yourself room to enjoy the activities you once did without feeling as though they may be a burden now.
Some examples include:
- Reading a book
- Calling your children
- Learning how to use facetime calls/computer
- Learning a new recipe
- Trying something new
- Reaching out to an old high school or college friend
Below are 12 resources for resilience to meet our need for satisfaction. Check ‘em out, and implement them into your day to day activities.
- Compassion: Be empathic to the burdens and suffering of others and ourselves, along with the desire to help if we can
- Grit: Be doggedly tough and resourceful
- Calm: Emotional balance and a sense of capability in the face of threats
- Courage: Protecting and standing up for ourselves, including others
- Mindfulness: Staying present in the moment as it is
- Gratitude: Appreciating and feeling good about what already exists
- Motivation: Pursuing opportunities in the face of challenges, if able
- Aspiration: Reaching for and achieving results that are important to us
- Learning: Growing and developing, a process that allows us to cultivate all of our other strengths
- Confidence: Feeling a sense of being cared about, worthy, and self-assured
- Intimacy: Being open to knowing and being known by others
- Generosity: Giving to others through altruism, compassion, and forgiveness
Learning to appreciate yourself through this pandemic is key to keeping your head above the water. This may not be easy when we may not know when it’s going to end. However, we can always control the narrative with ourselves and learn more about ourselves despite the situation at hand. Stay safe, be healthy, and most importantly, learn more about yourself in this moment we have!
This is what it means to “Spin the ‘A’ story” as we write about in our must-have guide, Kick COVID-19 to the Curb.
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