This Corona epidemic has truly exploded into something greater than any of us anticipated. It has created widespread fear and anxiety among the world’s population, and many people (including myself) are finding it hard to cope with. From the loss of a regular paycheck, to the shift to online classes for most schools, to the immobility from the house, this virus has infected everyone’s lives in drastic ways that leave many of us feeling hopeless, scared, angry, and sad. We are all trying so hard to navigate this new time and to establish some normalcy within it, but that’s hard to do when the future is literally impossible to predict and things are changing every single day as more is known about this illness. We are currently living in a giant world of uncertainty, a state that most of us have never lived in before, and it’s scary.
This can be an especially challenging time for people with mental illness. This level of uncertainty and worry is something many mentally ill people have to deal with every day, but when it goes beyond just being in your own mind and becomes global panic, it can be extremely difficult to cope. Those with health OCD, anxiety, depression, and many others are being affected significantly (though everyone is affected to a degree).
It is during this time more than any other that we need to find ways to occupy our minds and bodies, practice self-care, deal with our mental illnesses in healthy ways, and do the best we can to make things as normal as possible. Today, I want to give you some tips in order to help you cope with corona in your own home. These tips have been organized into four categories: mind, body, self-care, and mental illness. Each category contains a mix of general ideas and specific activities you can do to help with coping. Feel free to scroll to whatever you need and read the tips in that category! All categories are relevant now and even when there isn’t a pandemic though so you might just want to go ahead and read all of them. 😉
Mind
1. Validate Your Emotions
Everyone is experiencing intense levels of negative emotions right now. You are not alone. Take a minute to examine how you feel and recognize that however you feel is okay!! Every single thing you are feeling is valid (now and even when there is not a crisis)!! We tend to overlook this tip, yet we need this one the most! Don’t tell yourself how you should feel, just ask yourself how you are feeling. Don’t try to label any emotions you are experiencing as bad or good, just sit with them and acknowledge how you feel. Recognize that those emotions you feel are valid, do not need to be labeled or changed, and that however you feel is okay!
2. Journal
Writing down your feelings, prayers, or a simple summary of your day can be a great way for you to bring your mind to the present and relax you. Putting pen to paper is really underestimated in terms of how helpful it can be for our minds, and it can be a great tool for emotion processing! So, get out a notebook and get writing!
3. Read a Book
Reading a book exercises your mind, which is especially good to do right now when you are trapped inside and may feel like you are going crazy! Books can also provide a nice escape, and getting lost in one may help you to forget the current situation.
4. Spend Time with Jesus
We have suddenly been given a bunch of time at home, what better way to use it than to pray to our Lord and ask for His help? Read your Bible. Listen to some worship music. Take some extra quiet time with God. Pray to Him; let Him know what’s on your heart. Tell Him about your day, share with Him your emotions, worries, fears, anxieties. In a time where we all away from each other, let’s all turn to the one person who is with all of us! Spend this time with Jesus, whom you never have to social distance from.
5. Remember: You Are Not Alone
It’s easy with the way the world is right now, especially with social distancing, quarantine, and isolation, to feel alone. To feel like no one is in it with you, and no one feels the same way as you. It’s easy to feel like you are in a tiny box far away from the rest of humanity. But you aren’t. We all feel alone right now but in reality I think we are all closer than ever. This will come to pass and it will get better. We have to hold on to that.
Body
1. Eat What You Want
Though it is important to maintain a healthy, well-balanced diet, we also need to be kind to ourselves and remember that we are in a very stressful time. Food is how many of us cope, and especially when we cannot leave the house, it may be one of the only things we feel like we have control over. So cut yourself some slack. Eat all the carbs. If you need to eat an entire container of cookies to cope, do that. We can’t keep those poor eating habits forever, but especially right now, it’s understandable and okay.
2. Exercise
You know I had to include this one (I mean it’s pretty much on every post about Corona). Exercise can be a great way to reduce stress and increase endorphins, which boost mood. Getting your body moving can help you feel a little less helpless and a lot more productive!
3. Clean Your Room
While this isn’t the most fun tip (unless you’re like me and live for things to be super clean), cleaning your room is a great way to help yourself feel less anxious during this time. A cluttered room isn’t going to help a cluttered mind. Keeping a room neat and organized can help you establish some control over your life, make you calmer, and is a great way to get your body moving!
4. Keep a Routine
In my opinion, the best thing to do in these situations is to try to recreate your normal schedule at home. Try to sleep, wake up, eat, do work, exercise, and have free time at the same times you would normally in a week. So, for example, Monday-Friday I would go to sleep early and wake up early, but on the weekends I’d sleep in. I would try to exercise on the same days of the week I normally do, for around the same amount of time, etc., etc. A routine can really make a big improvement in life feeling normal while being stuck at home. Out of everything on this list, I recommend this the most!
5. Practice Social Distancing
I’m sure this was a given, but many people continue to disregard the importance of social distancing and go out. While it’s fine to go out to the grocery store or take a walk in the neighborhood, really try to not meet up with 10 of your friends to hang out. This can be hard for some people I know, but it’s truly the best way to stop this virus. Stick to FaceTime right now so you can actually do Face-to-Face later!
Self-Care
1. Remember Your Needs
Just because we are all social distancing doesn’t mean you have to be completely miserable. You can’t forget to take care of yourself, or you won’t be able to take care of other people. If you are extroverted and this social distancing is killing you, call a friend once a day or week to chat. If you need to be alone, find a place in your house for just you and hang out in there for a while each day. If you need to be outside the house, sit on the front porch for a couple hours. We can be smart but not be completely without the things we need.
2. Do Something That Makes You Happy
This kind of goes along with point #1, but you should find something to do and do it just because it makes you smile! Whether that’s calling someone, taking a bath, reading a book, taking a nap, playing a game, or something else, find something that brings you joy just to do it, and do that thing! That’s self-care in a nutshell!
3. Give Yourself a Spa Day at Home
This is a self-care activity idea! There are so many resources for this online! You can make face masks, do a steam facial, create a foot wash and more all with a few simple ingredients you find around the house! This coupled with painting nails and a bubble bath is sure to make a day at home fun and relaxing!
4. Binge Watch a Show
Such a typical self-care activity, but yet such an effective one! Take this time at home to watch (or rewatch) your favorite show(s). This can bring you a lot of joy and comfort. Remind yourself, “A lot may be changing, but (insert your fav show) still exists and will continue to exist even after this has all passed.”
5. Find a New Hobby
Do you have something you have always been interested in or wanted to learn but have never found the time? This quarantine period might just be your best chance to learn about that thing! Take this time to find something new. Learn how to make something, cook, play an instrument, draw, or learn more about something! We can all find something new to do and that’s a great way to practice self-care!
Mental Illness
Disclaimer: all of the above mentioned is great for everyone to do whether you have a mental illness or not, but this section, while it can be helpful for many people who do not have a mental illness, is specifically for people with mental illness who may want some ideas for helping cope with their mental illness specifically.
1. Identify Your Triggers
Pay attention to yourself. Try to navigate your emotions and ask yourself what specifically is bothering you. Is it the lack of uncertainty in the world? Is the panic worldwide making some symptom of yours worse? If so, what symptom? Does the virus itself freak you out, or is it the mass panic that’s scaring you? Ask yourself these questions to examine yourself and your mental state to find triggers that may be hiding.
2. Meditate
It’s always good for especially the mentally ill to meditate, but especially in times like these. It can calm you and is a good way to relax both your mind and body.
3. Regularly Check in on Your Mental State
Check in with yourself at least once a day to see how you are feeling. Then, ask yourself what you did that day. Did what you did today make a difference in how you felt? There are many apps that actually allow you to record these things and ask your similar questions! If you do this enough, you will start to find what activities/daily routines help your mental state and what make it worse. You can use this to help make your routine better and more mentally comfortable!
4. Engage with the Mental Health Community
Social media is a great way to tell yourself that you really are not alone and that other people are going through it with you. Find a mental health community on social media and see what others are doing to cope and what tips they may have for dealing with bad mental health during this time. Please be very careful with this tip, it is easy to look at others posts to search for reassurance and that is not what we need to be doing (now or ever)! Simply use it to see an encouraging word, find helpful resources, or use others’ tips to benefit your own mental health!
5. Contact a Hotline
We all may be stuck in our own houses, but the mental crisis hotlines are still open. If you don’t feel like you can take it anymore and need help, please don’t hesitate to call or text a hotline. They are here to help and want to listen! If you do not feel comfortable talking to a hotline, reach out to a trusted friend, family member, or even me, to talk!
I know we all are hoping this issue ends soon, but until it does, let’s all continue to do what we can to make it better. Practice social distancing, participate in self-care in your day-to-day life, and pay attention to your mind and body. Please do not forget that no matter how far apart we may all be, you are not alone! We will beat this! I believe in us!
With love,
Maddie
Trust Difficult Roads 