BY KATHERINE SWITZ
One of the greatest benefits of being the executive director of The Stability Network is that I am surrounded by an incredible community of people who provide support and strength when things in my life aren’t going as planned. I hope that during this challenging period, our shared stories of living with mental health conditions can provide encouragement for you as well.
Several key strategies for managing mental health have emerged from Stability Leaders who generously shared their stories with us during this pandemic. I’ve summarized these strategies—in Leaders’ own words—below. Please read through and consider how these ideas could support your recovery journey during this difficult time.
Practicing self-compassion and self-care
Being unkind to yourself only makes the challenges you’re facing more difficult. Practicing self-compassion and making time for self-care can make a world of difference now, and long after the pandemic is over. Give these practices a try and see if they help you be more kind to yourself and extend that kindness to others in your life.
Recognizing and giving yourself what you need:
- “I allow myself to sleep and rest. I’m more tired than I usually am, but I’ve learned to respect that and take care of myself.”
- “I accept that the responses I’m having—increased anxiety, depression, whatever they are—are okay. There’s not a right, wrong, or illegitimate thing I can feel. I am honest with what I’m upset about and verbalize that.”
- “For me, practicing self-compassion means recognizing in any given moment that I am where I need to be and am doing what I think is the right thing to be doing.”
Not pushing too hard and making time for fun:
- “I don’t have to work on all of these projects every day.”
- “My son and I have regular pillow fights.”
- “I’m learning to lean into the discomfort of this forced rest and relaxation and have been focusing on having fun.”
- “My son and I found a worm yesterday on a walk and we were really excited about that. I’m appreciating these tiny moments.”
Getting creative:
- “I’ve been coloring on my iPad. Color is an important part of my life.”
- “I’ve been practicing singing again.”
- “Every night I write in a ‘pandemic journal’ and record the moments that were special that day. My family is making a book and taking pictures to add.”
- “I’ve been working in my wood shop.”
Treating yourself:
- “Sometimes my partner and I go out for ice cream.”
- “I take bubble baths.”
- “I’m eating good food, sleeping when I feel like it, and not feeling bad about what I am doing to take care of myself.”
Giving yourself time and space
No emotion benefits us by being pushed down and ignored. It is critical to find healthy ways to process our feelings. But remember, there is no right way to do this. Read how our Leaders have learned to manage strong emotions to determine if adopting one of their strategies could work for you too.
Spending mindful time in nature:
- “I spend time bird watching and look out on the mountains.”
- “I go for a walk and notice the flowers or the way the light filters through a tree.”
- “I go out into my front yard and listen to the birds.”
Checking in:
- “I go down into the basement, sit cross-legged on my yoga mat, close my eyes, and delve into whatever I am feeling.”
- “I do a lot of self-check-ins especially when I start getting agitated. I’ll usually take a 10-minute walk at lunch, just to sort out how the day is going.”
- “Even two minutes of meditation can be helpful. I use Calm’s Do nothing for two minutes website.”
Making time to exercise:
- “I bike and run just to keep my body fit and my mind mentally fit.”
- “I do yoga and meditation when I have the patience for it. I like vigorous exercise, but I’m getting better at being still. Deep breathing and centering myself is important.”
- “We schedule a walk or a bike ride at the end of the workday. I get the decompression time that my commute used to provide.”
- “I don’t like sweating, so I don’t go to the gym or run. I walk which has been helpful.”
Creating structure
For many of us, the requirements of life created a default routine—get the kids to school, commute to and from work, make dinner—but now much of our time is unstructured. This can lead to all types of difficulties from not taking time for ourselves to not creating clear boundaries for work, life, and relationships. A carefully scheduled routine, including a regular mental health regimen, has been critical to my mental health, and I know it has helped many other Leaders.
Keeping to a schedule to make time for what’s important:
- “I create an hour-by-hour schedule that goes from 7 am to 8 pm. The most important things I include are my self-care, meditation, and exercise.”
- “As a family, we start the day with the question: ‘What’s today going to look like?’ And then we schedule it out.”
- “I schedule a call with my mom every day.”
- “I keep my schedule simple and I say no to things when I start to get too busy.”
Continuing the things that were working for you:
- “During this crisis, a lot of my routine had to change but I’ve found ways to create workarounds for work and socializing. My partner and I love to go to restaurants—usually Tuesdays and Fridays. Now, instead of sitting in restaurants, we get takeout and eat at home.”
- “I do remote therapy sessions. It’s not as effective as meeting in person, but it is still a really important touch point.”
- “Before the crisis, I had a meeting with my psychiatrist where we discussed tapering off my medications. I’m so glad that he had the foresight to suggest waiting. Social distancing and working from home have added a whole new layer to managing my mental health and I’m glad I kept going with what works for me.”
Staying engaged
Finally, seeking support and staying engaged with our communities is something we have all leaned into during the tough times. With social distancing, this becomes much more difficult, but learning to ask for help, reach out when you need to, and fostering connections is critical to staying well and supporting others.
Sharing and reaching out:
- “I’ve been keeping connections with friends and family over phone and text and having conversations with neighbors as they walk by.”
- “I’ve been connecting a lot with my local NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) chapter, including a weekly wellness check-in.”
- “Writing and speaking publicly—in person and on social media—about my lived experiences has been key. I am open about living with mental health challenges because I believe it makes a difference and I wish more people would have been open when I was struggling.”
Building a supportive network:
- “I have friends who will pick up on the things I say when I am dealing with depression and point out when I’m not sounding like myself. That gives me enough perspective to do something about it.”
- “Having friends who reach out to talk—even when you don’t feel like talking—is very important.”
- “It’s so important to know that you have people available who are willing to just be there—not offering advice or ‘trying to help.’ Just being present.”
We hope these strategies will prove useful to you or to someone you know during this pandemic. Please forward this post widely. Often people who are struggling with mental health conditions do not feel comfortable asking for help, so you never know who you may help by sharing. If you have strategies that have worked for you that you’d like to share, please let us know in the comments!
In the words of Leader Geralyn Giorgio: “We will get through this. We need to take it one day at a time, but that’s really all we can ever do.”