A message from Toby James, Director of Pastoral Care & Counseling at AMM
The coronavirus has upended our lifestyles and brought about a tidal wave of uncertainty into our futures. What can we do to manage our mental health in the midst of so much change? We can exercise our agency and tap into our capacity to care for ourselves—mind, body, and spirit. In doing so, we become more aware of the amazing resilience within us.
We Can:
Proactively wash our hands, faces, and the items/surfaces we touch to arm ourselves against contracting the virus.
Educate ourselves about the virus with reputable news outlets that offer the facts, and limit time spent endlessly searching through news. Obsessively sifting through the ever-present news coverage can easily overwhelm us and stoke our anxieties.
Practice social distancing, and physical isolation when sick, without disconnecting from others. Connection is an essential human need even for the most introverted of us. Community is vital in times of crisis. Honor the wisdom that “no person is an island,” and take advantage of the ways technology offers us opportunities to connect with family and friends when physically distant. Sharing concerns and hopes with others can instill a sense of solidarity and community that can keep us from the pitfalls of isolation and loneliness. Reach out when in need to others who can empathize with the stress and worry.
Cultivate our creativity. Dusting off that poem, drawing, painting, etc. that we’ve neglected can open us our creative muses who offer us insights and remind us of ways of connecting with (and expressing) parts of ourselves that have been dormant for a while.
Take advantage of the warmer weather and exercise our bodies. Get in those steps! Walking outside can increase the heart rate and simultaneously help us gather more vitamin D, while recognizing that others are out doing the same thing and increasing opportunities for being social while social distancing. The gym is closed? No problem. Old-fashioned push-ups and calisthenics from our physical education classes in elementary school and practices like yoga require only our bodies and efficiently allow us to remain present with our bodies. You Call This Yoga, a local nonprofit that teaches accessible yoga to our patients at AMM, has a great Youtube channel with videos for beginning, intermediate, and advanced yoga students.
Carve out time to cultivate our spirits through religious practices that help root us during times of uncertainty. Mindful practices such as prayer, yogic breathing, and meditation help lower our heart rates and quiet our minds from negative rumination and chatter, which is necessary to hear the still, small voice inside. Meditating on scripture can center us and give us renewed perspectives. Spiritual practices enable us to connect with the divine and the parts of ourselves we neglect when feeling frantic. Try this easy, 5-minute guided breathing exercise to start.
Schedule time with a psychotherapist. Being able to be vulnerable and open in the presence of a non-anxious, non-judgmental, trained professional who is attentive and empathetic is an opportunity for self-awareness and empowerment. At Alliance we are providing telehealth psychotherapy, a viable alternative to in-person therapy during the pandemic. Other mental health providers elsewhere are doing the same.
Taking advantage of these and other practices will empower us toward agency, community, a sense of relief, and compassion, all of which can equip us to better approach ourselves and others with grace. Let’s all do what we can to foster mental health in a time such as this.
Peace,
Toby James, Psy.D, M.Div., NCFBPPC
Director of Pastoral Care and Counseling at Alliance Medical Ministry