Tips for Maintaining Mental Health During Covid-19 (coronavirus)

Learning to manage and cope with anxiety during the Covid-19 (coronavirus) pandemic, whether living in a hotspot or an untouched charming rural town deep in the mountains, this is an extraordinary time for us all.

The Covid-19 global pandemic causes us all to question so much about our daily lives. It threatens our family, friendships, work, political inclinations, our neighborhood, and social norms. It is not a hoax!

Because of how we are all impacted, I want to share with you some tips for maintaining mental health during Covid-19 (coronavirus).

Remove unusual stress:

Now more than ever is the time to slow down. Our brain is on sensory overload managing a plethora of Covid-19 (coronavirus) pandemic updates. Regrettably, with the rise of local news coverage and social media, it is easier to follow unchecked misinformation and propaganda, causing an uncontrolled perception of the truth.

When too much news is affecting our mental health:

Now, having said that staying up to date is essential, I think that continually checking for updates can take a toll on our mental health. This constant information flow is leaving us all with anxiety and depression. Feeling such stress every day, unquestionably, will affect our overall well-being very quickly.

Listening 24/7 to the latest news is not only emotionally draining and tiring, but it also makes it difficult for us to shut down our brain. This has caused us to remain in a fight-or-flight state. If you are marinating on daily briefings and living in fear, why not reconsider how your time is spent.

8 tips to help to maintain mental health during Covid-19 (coronavirus):

1. Keep to your pre-COVID news schedule to stay informed with the information you need to keep you and your family healthy.
2. Become proactive and consciously moderate your news viewing time. Make sure to cut down on excessive and unhealthy media overconsumption and avoid becoming a couch potato news junky flicking through channels.
3. Pay close attention to fluctuations in your mood and make time in your schedule to focus on things that bring you JOY.
4. Seek out reputable and respected reporters.
5. Stay away from sensational Covid-19 headlines.
6. Fact-check news you discover via social media; remember many trolls or agitators are looking to create a dramatization of the truth for ratings.
7. Though I encourage you to make time for JOY in your life, now is not the time to develop an ostrich mentality. Sticking our head in the sand, to ignore the global situation altogether simply because it’s overwhelming, is not a healthy alternative.
8. Practice self-management strategies like mindfulness, yoga, meditation, art, exercise, and gardening. Making time for daily healthy action will help to manage anxious thoughts. Not only have these activities been proven to improve our mental health, but it also lowers blood pressure by providing a calming effect.

Have you been feeling nervous or on edge? Take the GAD7test today and if you need to speak to a professional don’t hesitate to do so.

I hope this post was helpful! If you haven’t yet, please sign up for my monthly email newsletter. My newsletter is where I share a bit more detail on how I use my garden to help keep me calm. I’m creating and maintaining my “slow home living” philosophy and I’d love to share its bounty with you.