Tips for Maintaining Your Mental Health During the Coronavirus Pandemic

With the outbreak of COVID-19, all of us at home are being challenged with this rapidly changing situation and having to adapt to a new normal. While we’re all doing our best to keep our essential workers, communities and families safe by staying home and taking necessary precautions for our physical health, it’s important that we don’t forget to nurture our mental health as well.

A recent article from Forbes compiled nine tips from psychology and health experts to help employers and individuals find ways they can protect their mental health while quarantined.

Some of the key takeaways may seem simple but can be easy to forget while we are busy working from home, taking on a new role as “substitute teacher,” and making sure our pantries are stocked.

A few actions we can all take to ensure we stay positive and mentally healthy as outlined in the article include:

• Maintain a routine: Keep a reasonable schedule for daily life and work, but make sure to take breaks and fit in time for yourself. Maintaining a routine around when you eat, sleep and work will help avoid falling into unhealthy patterns.

• Keep Your Physical Health in Mind: Stay hydrated and try to stay active. Whether that’s through going on a walk outside for fresh air, playing with your kids, or trying a new at-home workout video, we should be moving at least 30 minutes a day.

• Take some time to be alone, but don’t be afraid to reach out: We all need to find some physical and mental space that allows us to relax and reset each day, but don’t think you are in this alone. There are apps that help us meditate alone, or to socialize with our family and friends from afar, and even online platforms that can connect us with counseling services if needed.

Read the full list of tips here to gain ideas on how to focus on your mental health during this unprecedented time.