Mental Health and COVID-19

I hope you all are keeping safe and taking precautions due to the coronavirus. I know here in Houston we have a few cases, but we are not in as much trouble as some other states. As people are going into panic buying mode, it is starting to make me feel anxious about my husband and my safety in the city and concern for our family members.

Just a bit of background, I was diagnosed with anxiety and PTSD when I was 15 years old after being raped. Once I was diagnosed, I was placed on medication for quite some time until I spoke to my psychiatrist and psychologist about wanting to live without medication and to develop a plan to do so. I haven’t had any medication for either mental illnesses for about 10 years now.

With my anxiety, it tends to heighten based on my stress levels and what is happening around me. It took me quite some time to learn what was triggering my anxiety and how to find the right tools to manage my anxiety.

With everything going on, I would like to remind everyone to not only make sure you keep yourself healthy physically but also mentally. In order to keep my anxiety under control during this time, I do the following things:

• Keep to my routine as closely as possible: I did stop going to the gym, as I can get sick easily, but I am keeping up my workout routine. Doing yoga, running and small home workouts to stay in shape. I also continue my meditation and affirmations each day
• Staying on my therapy routine: if you are not already doing therapy virtually, I would suggest asking your therapist to have FaceTime/video or phone calls while the country shuts down. This will be helpful as you still have access to your current therapy routine and keep your mental health in check
• Self-care implementation: I am still making sure I am practicing self-care. The good thing about being home more often, as travel has been stopped for my company, I’ll probably take more bubble baths to slow down my day, more meditation practices throughout the day, keeping to my skincare routine as well as more journaling and writing.

As always, do what is best for you and your family to stay safe and healthy in all aspects of life. Be kind to those around you and remember to wash your hands.