Self-Care During a Pandemic: Tips and Links from a Psychologist

 

Self-Care During a Pandemic

Note about Author: Dr. Brian Mainland is the clinic director and one of the psychologists at Waterloo Psychology Group.

Tips and Links from a Psychologist

Uptown Waterloo has certainly felt strange over the past 9 weeks or so. The coronavirus pandemic has required all of us to drastically change our habits and schedules and as the weeks drag on the impact of social isolation, combined with anxiety around finances, maintaining relationships, parenting, and countless other concerns, continues to add to our mental stress as we cope as a community. Looking out of our clinic’s windows on King Street onto the mostly deserted Waterloo Town Square feels unsettling, as a once bustling public square now sits idle. 

Making our way through a pandemic is certainly not something that we are familiar with and we’re all learning as we go. The web has an endless supply of COVID-19 statistics, prevention recommendations and other information, so we thought we would focus this blog on sharing some helpful links we have found for socializing, challenging our brain, and staying physically and mentally active. Before jumping into things, here’s a list of some trusted websites for anyone seeking more information specifically about mental and physical health issues related to the coronavirus disease outbreak:

During periods of prolonged inactivity or stimulus deprivation (let’s face it, even the nicest home is only interesting for so long), our brain can start to get bored, agitated and/or more easily fatigued as we lose the abundance of cognitive stimulation that a typical work day, school day, or day spent socializing typically provides for us. While lazy holidays are great for short-term relaxation, as time goes on, we can become accustomed to the greatly slowed pace of things and our motivation to engage in positive physical and mental activities can begin to diminish. In fact, studies have found that social isolation can be associated with declines in mental health, including increased risk of depression, cognitive decline, anxiety and substance abuse. The social distancing strategy being adopted to fight COVID-19 is reportedly showing signs of effectiveness in slowing transmission, which is a huge positive. However, the isolation that comes with social distancing means that we need to get creative in developing ways to stimulate our brains, muscles, joints, and the rest of our bodies so that we come out of this period as physically and mentally healthy as we can. 

Now let’s review some great links to help keep our brain alert and active during a time when our typical daily routine is starting to feel like a distant memory. We’ve organized our list into two categories: Adults/Adolescents and Parents/Kids.

DISCLAIMER: We generated the ideas listed below by reaching out to family and friends for suggestions. Waterloo Psychology Group does not have any connection with or endorse any of the links below (but we do enjoy them!).

Websites and Ideas for Adult and Adolescents

The University of Waterloo has some great free media to stimulate or relax the mind:

 The Wirecutter, which is owned by the New York Times, has some excellent guides:

Local Ideas Exchange where you can communicate with locals.

Get Creative with Food:

 Start a blog! 

  • We’re in a very strange time period – but it makes for an interesting story for future generations. Write about the impact on COVID-19 on you. https://www.wix.com/

 Adult paint-by-numbers:

  • Online retailers have the same paint-by-numbers you loved as a kid, just with a higher degree of difficulty to challenge even seasoned artists. https://www.paintbynumbers.co/

 Plant a garden: 

 Spend a night in with friends:

  • Trickster Cards: Play card games with built-in video chat.

  • Zoom: Free video chat.

  • Houseparty App: Pop in and out of video chats and fun games with family and friends.

  • Vemos: Virtual movie nights with friends on Netflix, YouTube and other streaming services.

Websites and Ideas for Parents and Kids

Meditation videos for young kids:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yhRWp0wOLyo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xq3DwzX6MUw

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J9nE4RE8uiQ

Help with postpartum mental health:

https://www.postpartum.net/get-help/psi-online-support-meetings/

Staying active:

https://thewirecutter.com/blog/best-kids-exercise-videos/

https://thewirecutter.com/blog/ways-to-keep-kids-busy/

Ideas to Spread Positivity:

  • Write a chalk message on your driveway that encourages neighbours.

  • Make an obstacle course out of chalk on the sidewalk in front of your house and watch your neighbours try it out.

  • Go to your friend’s/family’s house and leave a sign on their window, or chalk message in their driveway saying you love and miss them.

  • Toy Swap: take some toys your children don't use regularly, sanitize them, and then swap with a friend/family member. This gives your children 'new' toys, so the interest is high.

Ideas for stay-at-home birthday parties:

Free websites to try with your kids:

That’s it for now! We hope some of these links and suggestions bring you some form of entertainment, connection or relief during these challenging times.

As always, if you are struggling would like to speak with a psychologist, feel free to reach out to us at Waterloo Psychology Group and we will match you with one of our highly trained clinicians.

If you are experiencing a crisis and need immediate assistance, you can contact HERE 24/7 for immediate access to crisis counsellors. Just call 1-877-688-5501.

Article Author: Dr. Brian Mainland

 
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