MH & COVID

Mental Health Tips & Resources During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Washing your hands and practicing social distancing are great practical ways to take care of your physical health during this time. However, it is also important to take care of our mental health. This page will provide you with tips to take care of your emotional and mental health during COVID-19.

Set and maintain a routine at home to help build consistency

Make sure this routine involves space for fun and/or relaxing activities, too! Take breaks and allow yourself to do things you enjoy.

Limit your social media and COVID-19 coverage intake

There is an abundance of COVID-19 coverage to consume, and it changes moment by moment. Instead of constantly refreshing your social media feeds or staying glued to news coverage, find a few trusted sources that you can check consistently and set limits on your consumption (once a day, or no more than one hour a day, etc.).

Use technology to maintain social connections

Strengthen relationships with loved ones and peers using technology such as phone calls, FaceTime, Skype, and Google Meet. Consider a regular check-in schedule to give you something to look forward to.
MN Peer Support Connection Warmline – For confidential peer-to-peer support, call or text 844-739-6369, from 5PM – 9AM, 7 days a week
Virtual Peer Support Network – Join virtual meetings that promote mental wellness and community for people living with mental health challenges. Each meeting is hosted by a peer specialist with similar life experiences. Join via Zoom ID# 592-347-390 or call 646-558-8656 to join by phone, from 10AM - 4PM, 7 days a week

Focus on Controlling the things you can

A lot of what we hear and see nowadays is scary and troubling. It can be helpful to seek out the opposite. Start with finding one thing that makes you smile, laugh, or feel good each day, such as a funny YouTube video, a song with a hopeful message, or cuddles with your favorite person or pet.

Pay it Forward

Look for ways to help your community, such as blood donations, checking on older people in your neighborhood, or donating supplies or money to local organizations.

Develop a self-care Toolkit

This can look different for everyone. It can be a list of comforting activities (reading, movies, crafts, etc.), objects (stuffed animal, crystals, etc.), places to go, and things you have done in the past, or could do, to help yourself stay well. It can also be an actual “kit” that you assemble. A lot of successful self-care strategies involve a sensory component (touch, taste, sight, hearing, smell), so a good task might be to come up with at least one thing for each:

For touch, a soft blanket or stuffed animal
For taste, a favorite snack or drink
For sight, a picture of a loved one or from a fun vacation
For hearing, make a playlist of your favorite songs
For smell, a scented candle or essential oil diffuser
Some things can engage more than one sense, like putting on a nice-smelling lotion (touch & smell) or coloring in a coloring book (touch & sight)

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES and ACTIVITIES

SCCBI Outpatient MH Resource List 2020 final.xlsx

NAMI Minnesota COVID-19 Resources

Minnesota COVID-19 Response

Minnesota COVID-19 Mental Health Support

Crisis Services, Support Groups and Classes

South Central Crisis Center, Horizon Homes, Inc.

NAMI Minnesota Support Groups

NAMI Minnesota Zoom Classes

NAMI Minnesota Classes on Video

Self-Care and Coping

Greater Good's Guide to Well-Being During Coronavirus