Mental Health and Coping with Coronavirus
MENTAL HEALTH AND CORONAVIRUS
Feeling overwhelmed? Isolated? ... Immediate support is available
Coronavirus and the impact is having on our economy, communities, families and day-to-day life is substantial. For everyone, it is a time of uncertainty. Some amount of distress is normal and expected. However, consult with a mental health profession if your distress is making it difficult to function. This may be particularly true for people with pre-existing mental health conditions, such as depression, anxiety, postpartum and PTSD. I have noticed that whatever mental health difficulties people were experiencing before COVID-19 they are amplified during this stressful time. The American Psychological Association recommends that individuals who feel an overwhelming nervousness, a lingering sadness, or other prolonged reactions that adversely affect their job performance or interpersonal relationships should consult with a trained and experienced mental health professional.
Effective immediately, I am offering short term telehealth therapy services specifically focused around coping with the emotional distress related to the Coronavirus. The simple act of meeting with a therapist can help gain perspective, reduce stress, increase resilience and help bolster coping skills. We can meet for just a few sessions to help you make it through this difficult time.
**If you are interested, please email me and we will schedule time to discuss whether short term telehealth therapy is a good fit for you. Please note that telehealth is not an appropriate form of treatment for everyone, particularly individuals with more serious mental health conditions.
Ways you may feel increased distress:
feeling more unsafe and uneasy
increase in irritability
feeling more clingy or “needy”
feeling more detached
increase in substance use
desire to self harm
more tearful
more reactive
Self care strategies
Notice if you start having more signs of distress & talk to someone about it
Limit new/social media intake (no more than 20 minutes at a time from reliable sources)
Get moving (walks, Zoom fitness classes, online yoga)
Stimulate your vagus nerve to help relieve stress in your brain and body
Practice box breathing (this is an excellent way to send a message to your brain to calm down)
If possible, get 7 - 9 hours of sleep
Have compassion for yourself and friends (everyone is stressed out and doing their best)
Snuggle and play with your pets
Stay connected (we are biologically wired to connect with one another, and there is real healing through connecting)
Physical Distancing Ideas
Virtual Concerts
Virtual Field Trips
Meditation
Monterey Bay Aquarium
Virtual Yoga
Get outside virtually!
Audiobooks
LGBTQ online groups for teens and their families
Online Retreats and meditation practices at Spirit Rock
Virtual Recovery Resources
Al Anon Meetings via Zoom
You can have your camera off, change your screen name, have complete anonymity and just listen in to check it out.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1znbPbHC493WrwxmFEvTrNViWSOWfMtCz3B9ZJVOFd-w/edit
AA Meetings via Zoom
https://sites.google.com/view/bayareazoomaameetings
Ongoing Online AA meetings that were already online before CoVid:
https://aasfmarin.org/online-meetings
SLAA (Sex & Love Anonymous)
https://slaafws.org/onlinemeetings
OA (Overeaters Anonymous)