CDC has suggestions via the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration SAMHSA
Toll-Free: 1-877-SAMHSA-7 (1-877-726-4727)
For example,
…USE PRACTICAL WAYS TO RELAX:
Relax your body often by doing things that work for you—take deep breaths, stretch, meditate, wash your face and hands, or engage in pleasurable hobbies.
Pace yourself between stressful activities, and do a fun thing after a hard task.
Use time off to relax—eat a good meal, read, listen to music, take a bath, or talk to family.
Talk about your feelings to loved ones and friends often.
See four page guide
https://store.samhsa.gov/system/files/sma14-4885.pdf
Our financial lives are unraveling, as both H & I work in hospitality. I’ve been laid-off and we are unsure if either business we work for will survive this.
I spoke with a friend of mine who I’ve known since we were 14, and it lifted my spirits so much.
I’ve been trying to focus on relationships that are dear to me and find ways to lighten the load.
H keeps saying “We are all in this together; just hang on to the boat”
I’ve found that having a lot of things to navigate — file for unemployment, look into getting payments deferred, pick up some dog food — has been good for my mental health. Something concrete to do.
Wishing everyone the best during this difficult time!
I frequently have songs stuck in my head so I’ve been working on making them be songs that are helpful to me instead of just obnoxious earworms. For example, I’m a church organist and we just started reusing a liturgy that I recall from my childhood and I find it soothing to run what I can remember of the Te Deum Laudamus through my head. I’d like to memorize it. The words and melody are both calming.
DD’19 likes to turn to “The Next Right Thing” from Frozen 2. Don’t think too far ahead, just do the next thing you need to do.
My immediate family is in 3 different states due to work and school. I hate being separated but on the upside two of us are in a highly affected state so I can give them info. about where the others will be in a couple of weeks and advice how to stock up and be prepared.
I’ve found I have to limit my news intake.
I’m trying not to eat too much to save food and not gain weight but after a week of social distance meals become something to look forward to!
My dog is keeping me busy. He is a senior so he requires a lot of trips outside. I have books going and just learned to use Netflix (not a movie watcher but about to become one). Talking to and keeping in touch with friends helps a lot.
I’ve told my teenager he is going to learn to play Backgammon and we’ll play together! There are many gifts to take note of during this scary and trying time.
^ There are so many good things to watch on Netflix. When we start a series that we find we like- we watch one or two episodes per night which makes us look forward to the next evening streaming.
I tend to be pragmatic and matter-of-fact about disaster prep, unflappable even. Imagine my surprise when I flared up at a cashier because she sounded like she was questioning my purchases this morning. Apologized right away but have been beating myself up all morning.
Yesterday I had so much negative energy. I finally started cleaning out all the drawers in the kitchen. We were up to about 5 junk drawers, lol. Went into the pantry and culled some of the stuff that’s on the geriatric side.
I can do some of this in every room in our house.
I am finding I well up with tears, without even thinking about it; I frequently find myself, one breath away from hysteria.
@bjscheel Ah, ‘Te Deum Laudamus’ - just those words brought back some calming memories; I found it on YouTube and I now have Gregorian chants playing in the background as I am typing. Thank you! Not sure if the link is allowed, but here goes…It is so calming…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?reload=9&v=3Diqtm6J3_E
As for the disaster and doomsday preppers, I’m sorry I scorned you! Our supermarkets are empty!!!
No feelings of panic here, just boredom. It’s cold (30’s) and raining so it isn’t much fun outside. I have gotten out and taken the dog for a big hike. Husband is really bored. He is working a bit from home but he is retired so it isn’t much. He will do better when it warms up a bit and he can go biking. I am also hoping it warms up and I can clean up the flower beds from winter. Hang in there everyone!
One of my best tips is to not forget about exercise, its important to stay active even during these times!
@johnsonanderson I agree! I am trying to stick to my daily schedule, which includes an early morning hike / walk Pilates is out for now, but I try to do and minimum of 12k steps each day and try to get it to 15-20k
Thanks for expressing that thought openly. I am not a doomsday prepper but have always thought that individuals should plan for the possibility of unrest or shortages. It is not just about having a supply of food, basic household necessities and access to weapons. Perhaps the most important part is psychological conditioning. Not taking the status quo for granted, not believing that the government will be there to help you if you need it, not placing too much unfounded trust in supposed experts and masterminds, who never seem to anticipate any crisis.
I used to enjoy talking with the old-timers in my family when they were alive, the ones who lived through the Depression as recent immigrants and who faced real discrimination. What always stuck with me was the string belief that no one owes you anything, and that nothing is promised from birth. We should be grateful for the incredibly easy lives that most of us have led. I am.
I am fine, and then I’m not.
I’m luckily still working ,at home. I assume that in May or June, I won’t be working at all. DH has to go to work, as do all his coworkers, so our worry is that he will catch it, bring it home…and then our safe haven for our kids is gone, because two of the three have fragile systems – one is on transplant meds, and we worry about the supplychain for those. The immunosuppressed one could die if they catch this. That’s hard to shake.
S has been out of work for 6 mos. DiL is now home without pay until at least June, they live smack in the middle of a hotspot. Both on restricted diets. Her work was just bought by a company that smells like it is looking for bankruptcy; if she loses her job entirely, they will have no health insurance. No food in their stores. (I brought them food and had more shipped right before our state closed up. Mothers Know) We think ultimately they will have to come and live with us to regroup, if we are still not ill.
We have lost so much in DH’s retirement plan that he can’t sleep. But what can you do? My siblings are in that “Oh go out and be normal” crew that are still having social gatherings. But I am talking to my local child 20’ apart. We have plenty of food since I preserve and we have a garden.
Sometimes I sit and cry. I do try to keep exercising, that helps. I had good advice about refocusing when panicky that I will share :
Close your eyes. Notice 5 things you can hear. 4 things you can feel . 3 things you can smell. Two things you can taste. Open your eyes and notice 1 thing you can see.
^ I do a variation of that when I feel an anxiety attack coming on.
It has been a roller coaster for me - some days I feel optimistic but mostly, I do feel riddled with anxiety and worry.
I find myself as worried about the future and the state of the global economy as I do about a loved one getting ill from the virus. I have elderly parents and they are at the top of my worry list as far as illness. I also have a life-long friend fighting for his life (cancer) and I am terrified he will suffer the consequences of our overstretched healthcare system. He already had a procedure cancelled this week which (I guess) was considered “elective”.
I find myself almost “fantasizing” about what life was like just 2 weeks ago! Not knowing when we can all live freely again is my biggest anxiety trigger. The great unknown. If I knew there was an end, I would be ok.
I have posted on other threads that I try to focus on the hundreds of brilliant people throughout the world working 24/7 on a possible therapeutic treatment. I can’t express how grateful I am to all of those men and women working tirelessly caring for the sick and looking for answers.
Thank you for this thread. Typing some of this out does help.
So much in this thread I can relate to. I suspect many are like me. A planner who likes to be prepared and feel in control. This breaks all of that. Everything is changing on us hour by hour and we don’t know when it will end. And the kicker is that’s it’s due to a virus - something that could kill you or someone you love very much. You can try to guess the odds and tell yourself you’ll be ok. But you just don’t know. You’re not in control and it just spirals downward.
So I do a variation of above. I try to curl up and close my eyes and think. How do you FEEL at this moment. Not mentally, physically. Are you healthy? Yes. Roof over your head? Yes. Hungry? No. Are you safe from imminent danger? Yes. Warm/cold/comfortable? Yes. Same for your family? Yes. You will be ok.
Deal with what you have in front of you as it comes. Thats all you can do. And for me, much of the panic is not knowing what is coming. Once it’s here (life shutting down bit by bit), it’s not that bad - or as bad as I feared.
I also talk to my (long deceased) grandfather before I fall asleep. Long story, but I know he’s watching out for me and my family. I talk to him during hard times and ask for things. This time, I figured it’ll be a long haul and will only ask for something specific in an emergency. But recently, I have been asking him to just be able to have some peace. And this morning I realized just how hard I’ve been sleeping this week and wake up feeling better. Now I just have to learn to maintain it throughout the day
I like this video and similar ones. I’m not Christian but still nice to watch.
I worry the most about my adult (31) D, who spent the past 5 years working on being more social and not such a recluse (and was pretty successful at that). She’s feeling “lonely” and most of her friends, like her, are in the hospitality industry and currently out of work (thank goodness for unemployment insurance!). So we text several times a day just to check in. She took a book and went to sit in the park and read yesterday, a lovely spring day for her. Getting outside really helps. And she sent me a cute pic of herself, lying on her bed with her scuba fins on, resting them on this gorgeous textile of an ocean scene she bought in Thailand that she has hanging as a ‘headboard’ - with the message “anyone else chilling at the beach or is it just me?” - so at least for that moment her sense of humor was showing - we must all continue to laugh, and yes, cry when the feeling hits. Don’t bury feelings. And if you snap at someone, apologize as quickly as you can. And thank every single worker you come in contact with, whether in person or on the phone. I even put a note in my mailbox thanking my carrier for delivering the mail. I wish I had a few Starbucks and/or Subway gift cards stashed because I’d have included one of those too. Be kind to yourself and each other. I’m writing this for myself as much as all of you.
I cleaned out and re-organized a big storage cabinet in my master bath today. Discovered and cleaned up a leak from a cough syrup, many expired medications…and 3 very small bottles of hand sanitizer. LOL, you’d have thought I found a $100 bill.
Anyway, it was a nice distraction.
Yesterday, we went over to D’s for about an hour. Stood in the yard staying six feet away. Watched GD, smiled and mugged with her, commented on stuff, but it was… weird…sad. I hate not being able to pick her up, hold her hand, read her a book. She’s sixteen months, too young to have any idea what’s going on. Just, Grandma and Grandad acting weird. I hate this!