Wellness Tips for the COVID-19 Pandemic
The COVID-19 situation has pushed us all out of our comfort zone, made us feel vulnerable, and disrupted well-established routines that grounded us. When things in life are unfamiliar, unpredictable, uncontrollable or uncertain it can impact our emotional well-being, whether or not we have a history of mental health concerns. Although we can not control the external world, we can take charge of our internal emotional experience. Consider incorporating some of these strategies in your new normal.
Take intentional steps to remain calm.
Our problem-solving and decision-making skills work best when we are calm. Take a few minutes each day to calm yourself using relaxation strategies like meditation, deep breathing, guided imagery, and calming movement like yoga.
Try this Paired Muscle Relaxation exercise:
Create a new routine for yourself.
Setting a new schedule and routine for your days helps create consistency, and a balance between work and free time, which is important. Set expectations for yourself, like what time you will wake and go to sleep, how much screen time you get, and how much time you plan to spend doing school work each day. It can also help to pick a place in your house to set up your own "office" space to do you school work.
Practice gratitude.
Crisis is scary, but it can also bring out the best in us. Take time to reflect and re-focus on the things that matter to you most. Here is a short gratitude exercise to try tonight.
Three Good Things exercise:
Care for others.
Although social distancing keeps us from physically connecting and caring for others, technology can actually bring us closer together. Think about the people in your life who may be alone or who you have lost touch with. Reach out to them! Even a simple message saying, "Hi, I was thinking of you today and I am hoping you are doing okay" can brighten someone's day and make them feel less isolated. Offering help or support not only makes other people happy, it may make you feel good and research shows it is good for you!
Check-in about how you are feeling and ask for help if needed.
Take time each day to ask yourself, "How am I feeling?" Identify the people you can go to for support if you notice you are feeling difficult emotions and need help coping. Your school psychologists, social workers, and counselors are available to talk via email or phone every weekday during school hours.
Take intentional steps to remain calm.
Our problem-solving and decision-making skills work best when we are calm. Take a few minutes each day to calm yourself using relaxation strategies like meditation, deep breathing, guided imagery, and calming movement like yoga.
Try this Paired Muscle Relaxation exercise:
- While breathing into you belly deeply, tense your body muscles
- Notice the tension in your body
- While breathing out, say the word "relax" in your mind
- Let go of the tension in your muscles
- Notice the difference in your body
- Repeat
Create a new routine for yourself.
Setting a new schedule and routine for your days helps create consistency, and a balance between work and free time, which is important. Set expectations for yourself, like what time you will wake and go to sleep, how much screen time you get, and how much time you plan to spend doing school work each day. It can also help to pick a place in your house to set up your own "office" space to do you school work.
Practice gratitude.
Crisis is scary, but it can also bring out the best in us. Take time to reflect and re-focus on the things that matter to you most. Here is a short gratitude exercise to try tonight.
Three Good Things exercise:
- Every night, just before you go to bed, sit down for a while and look back at your day.
- Then think of 3 things that went well for you during the day.
- Write them down. Reflect and think deeply about each of them.
Care for others.
Although social distancing keeps us from physically connecting and caring for others, technology can actually bring us closer together. Think about the people in your life who may be alone or who you have lost touch with. Reach out to them! Even a simple message saying, "Hi, I was thinking of you today and I am hoping you are doing okay" can brighten someone's day and make them feel less isolated. Offering help or support not only makes other people happy, it may make you feel good and research shows it is good for you!
Check-in about how you are feeling and ask for help if needed.
Take time each day to ask yourself, "How am I feeling?" Identify the people you can go to for support if you notice you are feeling difficult emotions and need help coping. Your school psychologists, social workers, and counselors are available to talk via email or phone every weekday during school hours.
Resources
Family Resources for Remote Learning from the Child Mind Institute (List)
This comprehensive document lists different academic resources for a range of subjects and age groups that parents can access to support learning at home.
Family Resources for Remote Learning from the Child Mind Institute (List)
This comprehensive document lists different academic resources for a range of subjects and age groups that parents can access to support learning at home.
resources-for-home-learning-child-mind-institute__1_.pdf | |
File Size: | 438 kb |
File Type: |
Thoughts on learning at home (Article with Link)
This article, written by a homeschooling mother, details some tips and tricks for adjusting to learning at home and clarifies the difference between remote learning and homeschooling.
This article, written by a homeschooling mother, details some tips and tricks for adjusting to learning at home and clarifies the difference between remote learning and homeschooling.
Restorative Questions for Family Conflict
While spending more time at home, in close quarters, there may be more arguments and disagreements within the family. This document outlines questions one can ask when processing a conflict and trying to restore the relationship afterwards.
While spending more time at home, in close quarters, there may be more arguments and disagreements within the family. This document outlines questions one can ask when processing a conflict and trying to restore the relationship afterwards.
restorative_questions_for_family_conflicts__1_.pdf | |
File Size: | 702 kb |
File Type: |