10 Tips for Good Mental Health in the Age of COVID

How to manage stress and anxiety when things feel out of control

This month’s blog features an interview with Allison Medina – Therapist and Director of Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Services at The Women’s Center.

It goes without saying that the COVID-19 pandemic has been challenging on multiple fronts, and is affecting the mental health of a lot of us.  For many, spring and early summer (with continuing vaccine rollouts and decreasing case counts), initiated a temporary respite.  For a while, it seemed that pandemic-related anxiety had finally started to subside.  Lately, the delta variant, seemingly constant changes in CDC guidelines, new waves of transmission and the overall duration of the pandemic, is, once again, raising anxiety and angst. 

Unprecedented times

As human beings, we tend to crave control and routine.  There is nothing wrong with this and most therapists would say that this is healthy.  The challenge, of late, has been that the pandemic has caused us to lose some of our sense of control.  And when we feel like we lose control of our lives, it can cause stress and anxiety.  Most of us are facing increased stressors, at least on some level.  But, for those of us who have already been operating in stressful environments or have been dealing with anxiety and depression, the pandemic is exacerbating these feelings.  

Another unique challenge posed by the pandemic is that many of us have learned to cope with anxiety and stress by seeking comfort by being around others, getting out of the house, visiting friends, staying busy, etc.  The pandemic does not always allow us to be physically around others as much.  All of the activities mentioned are still possible, but we have to be a bit creative.  As a therapist, I often get asked for tips to maintain strong and positive mental health.  

Ten things you can do

1. Understand the situation – The first thing I tell clients is that we are living in unprecedented anxiety-provoking times.  And it is normal for these feelings to arise. 
2. Take breaks and find normalcy between activities– I advise clients to focus on “transitions” – the importance of having a morning routine, possibly an afternoon walk or break between the workday and the dinnertime rush, and having consistent and simple triggers that can help you transition into your next activity.
3. Take care of your body – Taking care of yourself physically can improve your mental health.  You want to eat well, sleep well and move your body.  Especially in these times, we all need to go out of our way to be active.  It is not healthy to be sitting all day (even if you are working from home).  
4. Be consistent – I advise clients to strive for consistent sleep schedules and consistent eating schedules and habits.  
5. Mindfulness and Grounding – Mindfulness and grounding are about being in the “here and now”.  It is helpful to ground yourself in moments of stress.  Grounding can be as simple as having a calm moment and feeling your feet on the ground, feeling yourself sitting in your chair, breathing, and feeling your various body parts.  Grounding can also be something like naming things, using your five senses, looking at pictures of your pet or kids.  Some people also feel a sense of calm when they touch something soothing.  
6. Get outside – Closely tied to the above, many people find that taking a break, getting outside, and feeling a connection with nature helps with mindfulness and grounding.  
7. Stay positive – Self-care includes healthy boundaries around social media and the news.  Surround yourself and feed yourself with positivity.  Practice positive self-talk.  If you are constantly around depressing, anxious things, you are going to feel depressed and anxious.  If you do things you love and surround yourself with things you love, you will tend to feel better and happier.  
8. Spirituality and religion – The Women’s Center does not promote any particular religion or set of beliefs.  However, if you have a faith, many clients find it helpful to connect with their religion through prayers, thought, and journaling.  Sometimes it helps if you believe in a higher power and greater scheme of things.  That can help.  Obviously, therapists are not religious counselors but this topic comes up a lot and many people find it helpful.  
9. Know yourself – Since we are all unique, it is important to know yourself, what your needs are and what works best for you in addressing your mental health needs.  Some people need to go out and exercise hard.  Some people need to do things that are calming.  Some need both.  
10. Therapy – The Women’s Center retains over 65 professionally trained therapists to provide counseling services to meet the diverse psychological needs of women, men, children, couples, and families of all ages by offering numerous services and specialties.  However, in a broader sense, seeking therapy can simply refer to finding someone to talk to who is neutral, non-judgemental, and can listen and help strategize to come up with ideas to manage stress and anxiety.  

In closing

Even with talk of the delta variant and possible uptick in cases next flu season, it is important to remember that this pandemic won’t last forever.  As your world and routine begin to open up, my advice to you is to take it slow.  Give yourself the time to adjust (or re-adjust) to the new normal, whatever that may be.  Try to keep balance.  Don’t feel like you have to take on everything at once and switch completely back to your exact life and schedule from March of 2020.  Try to continue some of the positive habits that you’ve developed during the pandemic.  

Helpful resources*

• Many of my clients really like the Calm app (available on the Apple Store, Google Play, and Calm.com.  The Website and app features mindfulness resources, meditation tools, and sleep aids
• Tara Brach, based in Bethesda has a really strong following and you can check out the various writings and resources on her Website.   I particularly like the RAIN acronym she uses as an easy-to-remember tool for practicing mindfulness and compassion.  
• Resources from The Women’s Center – And, of course, The Women’s Center offers a lot of fantastic resources.  The Center takes a holistic approach: Our wide variety of services allow us to address the person and family as a whole. From our mental health counseling to financial and career educational workshops to domestic violence advocacy services, we work to address all the challenges someone is facing that interferes with their ability to feel empowered and in control of choices and responses in all areas of life. 

*The Women’s Center is not compensated by nor is it promoting any of these applications or resources.