How our staff are coping during the pandemic

Flowers from the garden - Sacramento, CA.

As we move into the sixth month of COVID-19 here in California, I thought I’d write a little about what some of our staff have been up to and how we as mental health professionals have been keeping focused, managing through the challenges, and staying grounded during this time. 

Here’s what we’ve been up to when we aren’t working:

1.     Still getting up at our usual pre-COVID time and doing our regular routines with our regular work schedules (minus our commutes) and replacing the commutes with writing, or an extra walk or run.

2.     Morning meditation for 15 minutes.

3.     Showering, dressing up, doing the regular grooming routines whether working that day or not. This helps us feel loved, cared for and ready for the day.

4.     Lighting candles, wearing scents that we usually avoid in in person sessions. This helps add a pleasant sensory grounding experience for the work day. Here are some of our favorite candles.

5.     Keeping our homes clean and organized and adding as much beauty as possible e.g. bringing in flowers from the garden or buying flowers. 

6.     Lots of yard work, gardening, landscaping and home-projects.

7.     Daily exercise – yoga, running, cycling, weight-lifting, dancing, swimming, walking, hiking.

8.     Taking leisurely walks in the neighborhood or in nature.

9.     Exploring our local cities and trying to find non-crowded parks to walk and run with our kids.

10.  Playing board games and card games every evening.

11.  Reading lots of fiction, science fiction, essays.

12.  Cooking a lot and experimenting with new meals.

13.  Limiting time on social media and having very strategic doses of the news.

14.  Spending quality time with our families.

15.  Listening to lots of music, podcasts and audio books.

16.  Staying connected to family, friends, community and colleagues.

17.  Developing new hobbies.

18.  Baking or cooking for the neighbors or friends and delivering food to them.

19.  Supporting friends, family, businesses and Organizations who are impacted by the pandemic.

20.  Watching movies, documentaries or sports that we find uplifting, hopeful, inspiring, humorous or entertaining. 

Most of all having gratitude for the day. 

Feel free to share what has worked best for you these past few months on Twitter.

Dr. Cory Nyamora is a licensed psychologist and endurance sports coach. He is the founder and director of Endurance – A Sports & Psychology Center, Inc. He provides endurance coaching for beginner and experienced athletes, as well as psychological services to children, adults, and families. He provides trainings for organizations on topics related to the intersections of sports and mental health and overall wellness. Find out more at  www.endurancecenter.org  or call 510.981.1471.

tags: Mental health professionals coping strategies, Coping during the pandemic, Rituals for getting through COVID-19