3 Ways To Maintain Resilience During COVID-19
Weas a planet are in the middle of two global crises: COVID-19 and a mental health crisis. Although the mental health crisis was an issue long before COVID-19 came along, it was certainly a catalyst for matters to get worse. As Fall is right around the corner, many people may find themselves not going to school, work, or other places they normally would be attending. During these hard times, it’s important for people to stay strong and maintain mental fortitude to be able to overcome the adversity that we are facing and will continue to face in the future. Everybody needs some helpful tips from time to time, so we bring you NextStep GoodLife’s 3 Ways To Maintain Resilience During COVID-19.
1. Manage Self-Expectations
As soon as quarantine was placed upon the people of the world, there were a lot of individuals voicing their feelings on how quarantine was an “opportunity”. An opportunity to start working out again, pick up a new hobby or begin a new side hustle to make money. Although this is a constructive use of time and it is helping some people better themselves, it also has put an immense amount of societal pressure on a lot of individuals to feel like they need to be pushing themselves harder in quarantine. Many people believe they’re being lazy for not doing more when the truth is you don’t have to. Not everybody is built to evolve and grow from such a stressful time of being quarantine in times, so it’s important to keep your expectations for yourself at a realistic level. Just relax, do what makes you feel comfortable, and allow yourself to care for your mental health in whatever way works best for you.
2. Maintain Connections
With everybody being kept out of work, school, gyms, and restaurants, while also being required to social distance, it’s easy to feel like you’ve lost all social contact with those around you. This can further take a toll on one’s mental health by bringing a feeling of loneliness and solitude, which is not something one needs when going through a pandemic. Many people need social interaction as humans to make us feel normal and it often really helps to share how we are feeling with other people, especially ones who may be going through the same exact thing. With many people feeling stressed and anxious about the current status of the world, it’s important to maintain connections and check in on others for their sake and our own.
3. Be Optimistic
With all the horrible and scary news circulating about COVID-19, there has been an overall sense of uncertainty that has struck the world. While hearing many contradicting opinions and feelings, it’s easy to not know what to think about the world and its future. Nobody can be certain of what is to come, but it’s extremely important to stay optimistic and hope for the best while keeping your spirits high. Try to think of the good in things that are around you, whether it be your connection with the outdoors, the love of your family, or the peace and quiet of being alone wherever you are. It’s also good to know that we are headed in the right direction, and the virus is not the end of the world, so finding the good in things and remaining optimistic about the future is a step in the right direction to staying resilient.
Keep these methods in mind to stay strong and maintain resilience during these difficult times, and check out more helpful tips and tricks in the NextStep GoodLife app, where you can download at NextStepGoodLife.com!