Tips for managing a COVID-19 Fall and Winter Season
Stockholm, Sweden
As we anticipate higher numbers of Covid cases this Fall and Winter and may need to stay put for more months, I thought I’d share some ideas on how to get through the next few months without putting yourself and/or others in harm’s way. Here are some tips:
Long-term thinking – remember that Covid will not be with us forever and if we can settle into figuring out and doing activities that keep risks low and diminish the spread of the virus, the faster it will be for us to get back to normal. If we survive through this time we may have many more holiday seasons, more time with family and friends and more experiences enjoying the activities we’ve loved for years.
Take advantage of reflection time – this is a good time to dive into quieter tasks. You can build a journaling, meditation or prayer practice. Take time to reflect on your values, goals, and what’s most important to you. This is a good time for therapy.
Create new holiday traditions or dive deeper into already existing ones – experiment with new foods, or enjoy foods that those you are regularly with during the holidays don’t enjoy. Go on a beautiful run, bike ride, walk, or snowshoe. Take a drive and sit and reflect somewhere stunning. Decorate your home.
Develop a new hobby – dive into anything new and change things up from what you’ve been doing the past few months. This may mean learning how to play a new board game, cooking, doing some indoor home-projects, begin reading a different genre, learn to knit or sew, create something you’ll be proud of post-pandemic. Do something challenging that will take some skill and time to develop.
Learn something – this is an excellent time to dive deep into studying something new or something you’ve never had time to learn. This may mean taking some online courses, buying some books and really diving into a topic. If you are someone who loves travel – get some history and cultural books and learn more about some of the places you’d love to travel to. Learn more about politics, culture, race or anything that’s been consuming you that you don’t know too much about. Brush up on topics you can’t remember from your time in school. Learn a new language.
Be physically active – there are numerous online workouts and classes that you can really immerse yourself in and tons of coaches, personal trainers who could use your business. Do something creative and enjoy it. If you live where you can get outdoors, do that as much as possible. Remember exercise helps us both physically and mentally.
Stimulate your senses - Fill your life with good music, food, art, culture, scents, laughter and conversation.
Practice patience and letting go of trying to control things that are beyond your control.
Call others and stay engaged – it’s easy to begin to lose sight of our connections when we aren’t seeing people regularly. Build a practice of talking with your loved ones even when you may not feel motivated to. Usually you’ll feel much better afterwards.
Reflect on your strengths and experiences that remind you that you (and we as a community) can get through challenges.
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.
