5 Ways to Care for your Mental Health in a Pandemic
The past 10 months of our lives have been a time like no other. That seems to be a statement that we keep hearing, and at times it can become something that we become deaf to.
And yet.
As a counsellor, I would argue that the last 10 months have been a time of trauma for everyone. You. Your family. Your friends. Neighbours. Country.
And when you experience a traumatic event – something that is unexpected, is overwhelming and changes how you view your life or operate in it – there are ramifications.
At times the ramifications are minor, and you’re able to bounce back. When you have built up resilience in your life, a traumatic event might stick with you, but you’re able to pick up your feet fairly quickly and find some healthy coping tools and recover without much of an impact on your daily life.
There are other times when a traumatic event has more of a lasting event. And in cases where it lasts a long time as this pandemic has, and there are things that keep happening to compound the trauma, it can feel like you just can’t get your feet going again. You might notice that you feel more complacent than you were before Covid. There may be a feeling of sadness, grief or depression. Maybe you’re feeling disconnected from people and yourself.
These are all ways that you might define a low period of time in your mental health. Some symptoms that you might want to look out for are:
Feeling sad more than you feel okay
Withdrawing from friends and family more than the restrictions require
Feeling that you’re all alone
Eating more than normal or less than normal
Exercising a lot more than normal as a way to escape, or giving up exercise completely when it used to be part of your daily routine
Jumping on dating apps and talking to a whole bunch of people because at least you feel some kind of connection
A decline in the enjoyment you get out of your primary relationships
If you are noticing some of these ways that your mental health may be declining, we’d like to help you explore some ways that you might be able to help yourself as we continue to navigate these unprecedented times.
Be aware of your body and what’s happening with it.
Your body is an amazing tool. And it takes in your experiences before your brain knows what emotion to associate with it. On the other end of things, it also alerts you to when things aren’t quite functioning well. But how do you listen to your body?
As you’re reading this article, do a scan of your body. Do you notice tension anywhere? Is your heart beating quickly? If you slow down and pay attention to that, you might be able to identify what you’re needing right now.
Stretch and move your body on a regular basis. If you get up and get the blood flowing, it allows your brain to function better, and literally and figuratively changes your perspective.
When you start to experience anxiety or sadness or even depression, take a moment to identify where it’s showing up physically. Stopping to do this in the midst of the physical reaction can help stop the cycle before it gets too overwhelming. It also begins to help your brain and body start to trust that you know how to take care of it, thereby reducing the stress and fear you may be experiencing.
Make time to slow down
You may laugh at me for suggesting this. Yes, I know that a lot of things have slowed down. I live in the South Surrey area of BC and work in Langley. I see the line ups outside of our stores. I had delays in receiving Christmas gifts. The team at Panorama and I all had very slow Christmas experiences compared to normal.
And yet, there’s a part of us that doesn’t actually slow down. We keep running and trying to keep our mind and body busy so we can avoid the pain of distancing and feeling isolated. So yes, you may need to slow down.
Some practical ways that you can slow down are:
Read a book at night rather than watch a show
Get outside for a walk by yourself
Play a game with your kid (if that doesn’t slow you down, I don’t know what will :P )
Contact us to book an appointment and help your mental health
Connect with your friends and family
I get it. Zoom fatigue is a real thing. I just did a Google search and there were SO MANY articles on this. And yet. We need our people! We were made to be in a relationship, and so finding creative ways to be with them is really important to our mental and emotional health.
Some ways to connect with the important people in your life may be:
The dreaded Zoom call. But make it interesting. My son-in-law gets us all to take turns creating quizzes for each other. Check out jackbox.tv as an option for playing games together. Before you start a Zoom call or FaceTime, set some ground rules about it being okay to not look at the screen all the time, or how long you’ll be on it together.
Find a meeting place outside to go for a walk or sit on a picnic bench and stare out at Campbell Valley Park together.
Text someone that you care about so that you can choose when you’ll respond.
Move your body
With the restrictions that are in place you may be working from home now, so you don’t even have to walk to the bus and then to the office. Or maybe you don’t want to wear a mask in order to go to your gym. Moving your body doesn’t have to be a really big thing…or it can be.
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Some suggestions for ways to move your body more than just walking from your home office to the couch to watch TV are:
Prepare a new recipe that you’ve always wanted to try. When we cook something new it takes longer and you use different spices and dishes, causing you to move in more unfamiliar ways.
Take a look at fitness trainers that are providing free classes online and try out a new move. Tell yourself you’ll get through one session as best as you can. This may be the time to try those aerobic classes that cause you to move your body in ways that you’re normally embarrassed to try in front of a whole class. I know that Tara Zorn Fitness and Goodbrand Fitness have been pretty creative in what they offer during the pandemic.
Commit to walking out to the end of your driveway 10 times each day. Or make it a project to see how many times you can go up and down your stairs in a row without falling over.
Seek out professional help
There are times when the sadness won’t go away. Or you recognize the signs that depression is starting to sink in. If this is happening and you’re finding it difficult to pull yourself out alone, or you feel like you just can’t burden your friends any more, then give us a call.
Everyone at Panorama Wellness Group is trauma-informed and wanting to help you get through Covid-19 in the best way possible. We offer both in-person and online counselling options so that we can meet your comfort level and safety needs.
You can find out more about each of us here.
I hope that this article has helped you find some practical ways to help your mental health during this crisis. I know I speak for each of us here at Panorama Wellness Group when I say that our biggest concern right now is the mental, emotional and physical health of those in our community of Murrayville, city of Langley and the surrounding area of the Fraser Valley. We want to help you reach your goals for your mental health.
Contact us to book an appointment and help your mental health
Lisa Catallo is the Owner and Director at Panorama Wellness Group. She is a counsellor in Langley who works with women and couples who have survived a traumatic experience. She is passionate about helping people manage their mental and emotional health so they can achieve authentic relationships with themselves and the people in their lives.
