5 Tips for Mental Health in a Time of Crisis

Focus on what you can control. You can control how much time you spend on social media and/or consuming the news. You can control WHICH people and sources you follow. You can control whether you are moving your body, getting outside, drinking water, eating vegetables.

Gratitude is always available. You can decide to be grateful at any time, for the running hot water in your shower, for the roof over your head. Not everybody in the world has those I love the gratitude practice from "The Tools" by Phil Stutz. You can check it out here.

Find a purpose/find way to be in service of others. Viktor Frankl was a Jewish psychologist who lived in a concentration camp during WWII, he wrote a book called "Man's Search for Meaning" in which he describes his analysis of who seemed to fair best under the direst of human circumstances. It's a super powerful read, and especially during a large-scale crisis I think helps to get some perspective and also ideas for well-being. He places a large emphasis on the importance of intention, mindfulness, and purpose.

Focus on meaningful connection, and nurturing and building community with people you care about. We need each other now more than ever and having a nurturing community will lift you and others in times of need and sorrow. It's like having a safety net to catch you if you fall. Here are some accessible, simple ways to build community:

1. Reach out to 4 people you know and are interested in getting to know better. Ask them if they'd be interested in setting up a regular get together, be it a potluck, or a coffee date, or a walk in the woods. It takes some courage and vulnerability but there's a good chance they're looking for the same thing! Having a regular date every month ensures it happens, and that you build those relationships.

2. Visit your local library and see what sorts of clubs they have going on that might be of interest to you. There are many interest-based clubs that meet and it's a truly fantastic resource!

3. Trivia night at a local hang spot? Great way to see the same folks regularly and build relationships!

4. Post a "looking for friends" in an interest or lifestyle-based Facebook group. Describe a bit about yourself and where you live, and what sort of get together you are interested in. I've seen people have a lot of success with this!

5. Meetup.com has a lot of free interest-based gatherings as well.

6. Ready to invest in finding and/or building community? https://timeleft.com/ Dinner with 5 strangers. www.upwardspiralwellness.com/forest-walks my Spring Renewal Women's Mindfulness & Hiking group, Join or start a Tablebuilders group!

   
   

   5. Prioritize your well-being, because if you don't, no one else will, and you NEED to be resourced, well-rested, healthy, and strong so that you can be prepared to be there for others in a worse position than you, or stand up when you need to stand up for what you believe in. Letting yourself get unhealthy or falling into a depressive state will not be helpful to anyone. Take care of yourself.

   
   

   I hope these tips help give you some things to consider! Please let me know if you found them helpful! nathalie@upwardspiralwellness.com