Coping with COVID-19 – Creating a Sense of Calmness

If the news about the COVID-19 situation has you feeling stressed out, you are not alone. But there are steps you can take to lower your stress, reduce anxiety and help you stay healthy in these uncertain times.

Tips for Coping during COVID-19 and Creating a Sense of Calmness during Times of Anxiety:

Calm Your Body and Mind – When you notice that you are feeling overwhelmed or anxious, try deep breathing or counting your breath down from 10. Practice mindfulness. Turn your thoughts into a bigger perspective view. When a vaccine is found and this has died down, how do you want to have used this time? Focus on the things you can control, like washing your hands and social distancing. Buy food and supplies as normal. Don’t overbuy remembering that others need things too – just get enough for you and your family to get through a few weeks at a time.

Prioritize Self-Care – There are a lot of things you can do to help keep you physically and mentally healthy:

• Journaling
• Exercising
• Healthy Eating
• Meditating
• Reading
• Crafting
• Listening to music
• Getting enough sleep
• Practicing gratitude

Consume a Healthy Dose of Media – Try to minimize your time with the media – just get the facts you need to stay informed and safe. Being connected 24/7 is hard on our mental health. We suggest to just check the news or reputable news outlet websites just once daily.

Reach Out to Others – Share kindness, care, compassion and love with one another whether it is a family member, friend, neighbor or stranger while still practicing social distance. In difficult times like these, using your support network – can be very helpful. Just make sure to reach out to people who are supportive and not those who will increase your stress. And be sure to talk about things other than COVID-19! Jump on a Zoom call with friends and do trivia, FaceTime a family member, mail a card to a distant relative, use this time to stay connected even though a part.

Seek Professional Counseling / Licensed Therapy Services – If you find that anxiety is interfering with your daily functioning or causing increased distress, it’s important to know that you can reach out to a mental health professional. We must learn to overcome the stigma placed on seeking help for mental health issues. Never suffer in silence. There are always options for you, even during social isolation – there’s Teletherapy services available and Teledoc appointments you can make with doctors.

If you live in Georgia, Georgia HOPE is here for you, you can always reach out to us at (706) 279-0405 or https://gahope.org/make-a-referral/rsd-referral/.