03/10/2020
Covid-19 is the thing preoccupying many of us these days. How do we practice good mental self-care, as well as the good prevention habits we read about daily? While Covid-19 is a newly spreading crisis, it helps to remind ourselves collectively and individually: we’ve weathered difficulties before. Practice kindness, offer help, and ask for help when you need it. These are the important elements for communities and individuals to pull together.
Even if we can’t hug or connect physically, we can check-in via email or phone. In our own personal self-care, balance is important. Keep informed but avoid obsessively churning through information you already know.
If you are a person who is fearful, respect your fear and take the precautions that help you to stay calm and feel safe. If you tend to be fearless, do the things you love to do—as long as they are within current guidelines—but take the practical precautions necessary.
No amount of worrying will change outcomes. No amount of debate will tell us how the viral situation will affect our world, locally or broadly. We only know it is changing social systems for the time being. We should remember that humans are often best in a crisis. We should remember we are collectively skilled at helping each other through and recovering from crisis. We have done this for thousands of years.
Covid-19 is an invitation to stay present to our needs, not deny fear and not elevate fear. Remain connected with your loved ones and community, perhaps in different ways. Explore your personal capacity to rise to the challenge of a swiftly changing world, with compassion and acceptance for what you can and cannot do.
