How To Stay Connected and Psychologically Sound During the Pandemic

Being quarantined has got me thinking a lot about our mental health. My greatest concern is for the elderly and single people. It's easy to get lonely real fast, especially if you're an extrovert. Here are some ways to make sure you don't get too depressed during this difficult time. 

1. Forget "too much screen time" when it comes to connecting. Psychologist, Christopher Edwards, told idahonews.com that people should use FaceTime or Skype, and get on the phone to talk to people from a distance however you can.

2. Schedule a telephone session with a psychologist if you need to. (I just had a phone session with my therapist this week and it was so nice!) Get rid of the shame. Here's a link to St. Luke's telephonic sessions

3. Get outside. Even if you can't socialize outside, get outside every single day. Take the dog for a walk, go for a run. Getting a little fresh air and sunshine does wonders for your mental health.

4. Try to watch positive movies and read uplifting books. Whenever I go down the rabbit hole of watching horror movies or lately it's been movies about the pandemic, it just makes me worry more or I feel more depressed.

5. Challenge yourself to call friends and family members that you haven't talked to in a long time. With life a little slower these days, it gives us an opportunity to reach out to people when we felt too busy before.

Remember, we're all in this together all over the world and one of the best things we can do is take care of our own mental health and try to cheer each other up!