As COVID-19 starts to wear thin, we thought we might take this opportunity to relate some tips for staying resilient during this time. This is a difficult time for most of us in some way because life has been interrupted, there are added worries and we are restricted from our normal freedoms. Here’s some of advice from Real Life Counseling clinicians on navigating this pandemic and the resultant constraints placed upon us.

• Take small doses of the news every day to stay informed.  Constant exposure to the news can increase worry, anxiety, and depression.
• Take time to spend quality time with your significant other.  The added stress that everyone is feeling at this time can put a strain on your relationship.  Be kind to one another and practice patience.  Ask yourself when you start to get upset with your partner, “Will this matter in a week?”  If not, it’s probably not worth arguing over!
• Schedules are important.  Structured times for sleeping, eating, working, school work, exercise, recreation (practicing social distancing), etc. helps humans to keep on track and manage negative emotions.
• Take care of and love on your pets!  Pets reduce stress and anxiety.  Take your dog for a walk.  Pet your cat.  Teach your bird new words.  You get the idea…
• Practice social distancing, but get outside!  Take a walk.  Take a drive.  Go for a run.  Walk your dog.  Just get outside!
• Exercise!  Start a new exercise routine, or if you already exercise, try something new.  YouTube has a ton of exercise options for free.  Get out of your comfort zone.
• Get creative.  Start an art project from supplies you already have at home.  Finish a project that you have been putting off.
• Reward your work with something that you enjoy – binge watching a new series on Netflix or ice cream for a treat on Saturday afternoon.  Be kind to yourself.
• If you are working from home, continue your usual routine for getting ready in the morning.  Get dressed.  Do your hair and makeup.  WEAR PANTS!  If you have to use video chats for work…remember everyone can see you just like you can see them!
• Have fun! Will Thomas said, “There is no fear when you are having fun.” While fear can allow us to react to danger in the moment, it can be draining if it is a feeling that persists over time. The survival, knee-jerk reaction of fear often takes place in a space void of reason, logic, or play. Play, for adults and children, does not occur in the space of fear. Play can lift us up out of the survival instincts and it allows us to be in the moment, having fun. In our fun, we can be inside of our own bodies again, connecting to our emotions, checking in on ourselves in a kind and gentle way. With so much to worry about right now, we might need the opportunity to feel safe and whole again.
• Use positive self-talk statements such as “Even if the world is facing a pandemic, in this moment, I am okay” or “I am capable of taking good care of myself right now and I can ask for help if/when I need it”.
• Take part in a new hobby – sidewalk chalk, jogging half a mile, things you’ve wanted to try but haven’t had the time to.
• Pause and see this as an opportunity for growth and not time wasted in limbo. Remember, what turns out to be beautiful and visible growth later is like when you plant a seed: it’s messy when you plant and you don’t see the flower/plant until later when it has a chance to grow.
• Reflect and think about future plans, even if we don’t know when things are going to return to normal.
• When we are in circumstances we can’t control, especially when our lives and activities are restricted, we have an opportunity to go inward and to learn lessons that reveal a lot about ourselves.

Stay safe and healthy, everybody.

The Real Life Counseling Team