Reach Out

By: Madison Fortney

The outbreak of the coronavirus, (COVID-19), may be stressful for students and families. Fear and anxiety about a disease can be overwhelming and cause strong emotions in adults and children. Coping with this extreme stress will make you and your community stronger.

There are many ways you can cope with stress and increase happiness while stuck at home. Healthy activity is one great way to deal with this added stress and anxiety. It keeps you busy and helps take your mind off the news and virus.

There are many fun forms of physical activity for everyone to enjoy. Take an online yoga class, go for a run, and just enjoy this time to work on yourself. Meditation is a great way to relive stress and become a more calm person. Cardio and strength training can increase your happiness by 50%! In a time where life feels very unusual , happiness will change your mood completely while stuck at home.

The COVID-19 pandemic has likely brought many changes to how you live your life, such as altered daily routines. This drastic change can extremely effect your life. You should remain going to bed and getting up at the same times each day. Sticking close to your usual schedule, even if you’re staying at home, can often increase your happiness and mental health.

Work on yourself. Even a few minutes of quiet time can be helpful to quiet your mind. Soak in a bubble bath, watch YouTube, listen to music, or read a book.

Allen Fortune MS, Professor of Psychology at West Hills College says “The most important thing is keeping a positive mindset. Stress and anxiety is usually brought out by worry of things that could happen… use positive affirmations like coloring, painting, or deep breathing. Also stay away from the news, it causes additional stress.” Relaxing is often a great way to reduce stress. There are many technique that you can practice in order to stay clear minded and healthy.

Staying busy and being distracted can help ease your negative thoughts that lead to sadness. Enjoy hobbies that you can do at home, build something new or deep clean your house. Melissa Vasquez says, “As a mom, its hard to keep my kids entertained while at home. I have four girls and its often hard to keep all their school work and different schedules up to date, I often try to keep my kids entertained and busy by doing small projects.” All these things are small ways to help get your mind off the negativity. Doing something positive will manage anxiety and is a great and healthy coping strategy.

Your current strong feelings will fade when the pandemic is over, but stress won’t disappear from your life completey. You should contuine to use these self-care practices to take care of your mental health and increase your ability to cope with stressful days and situations.

If you are having trouble trying to cope, there are many sources you can reach in order to relieve stress. Your teachers, family, and friends are just a call away.