Coping During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Many of the factors that increase our risk for developing a trauma response are being tested during the current global pandemic. Review these below and see if you can incorporate some of the strategies recommended by Dr. Bessel van der Kolk.. Click on highlighted linked phrases for more tips and information
- Loss of Predictability
- Create schedules
- Plan events with friends and family
- Maintain sleep schedule
- Immobility
- Get moving
- Do projects with family, cook dinners, work outside, gather food, etc.
- Yoga, Tai Chi, mindfulness, breathing
- Get moving
- Loss of Connection
- Call and, if possible, FaceTime/Zoom/Skype with loved ones so you can see each others' faces
- Family meals, games, storytelling, etc.
- Numbing out
- limit numbing agents (i.e., alcohol, drugs, TV, etc.)
- Mindfulness with Self-Compassion
- Monitor anger- Anger is a way of managing unbearable threats, but it must be managed now
- Loss of Sense of Time and Sequence
- Remember that this will pass.
- As in meditation, recognize that ever moment is different from the next. Acknowledge that you have moments of joy, sadness, fear, boredom, and many other experiences.
- Loss of Safety
- Touch, cuddle, be close to loved ones.
- Also give yourself and others privacy when needed.
- If you are a victim of domestic violence, don't wait for it to get worse. Call: 1-800-799-SAFE or visit https://www.thehotline.org/help
- Loss of Sense of Purpose
- Work to find meaning in your daily activities.
- Stay connected to faith and spirituality, including the general sense of yourself as a member of the global community
- Look for the examples of compassion, love and connection around you