The Canadian Health Centre’s Counseling Psychologist Sara Hassan advises everyone to equally prioritize their mental and physical health during this time.
Remember that your overall wellbeing is always a priority, however; during a worldwide crisis such as Covid-19 your wellbeing and safety are crucial. Maintain a positive attitude regarding what is going on in the world and trust the process. This will pass so take advantage of the time you have towards the things you didn’t have time to do during the hustle and bustle of your daily lives prior to the pandemic. If watching and reading the news makes you anxious limit your viewing or maybe even get the latest accurate information from a trusted friend or colleague every other day rather than daily. Furthermore, adopt a positive perspective and engage in healthy behaviors like eating healthy, staying well hydrated and exercising in your home or outdoors keeping in mind and sticking to the strict social distancing rules. Although we are currently social distancing, maintaining the meaningful emotional connections is a crucial part of staying positive and hopeful together. So utilize all the social media and electronic platforms available to you. Your feelings are valid and you are not alone so make sure you talk to family and friends and engage in those meaningful conversations.
Also, take advantage of the excessive time you have and do the things you’ve always wanted to do like draw, paint, read, dance, sing, journal, and organize your closet, for example. Finally, try to be mindful in everything you do, whether it is while walking, cooking, eating, and praying, for example. Focus on the 5 things you can see, 4 things you can touch, 3 things you can hear, 2 things you can smell and the 1 thing you can taste. This is an extremely effective grounding technique. We are all in this together so lets all show each other love, kindness and compassion.
For more information on any of the material presented here don’t hesitate to contact the Canadian Health Centre at 24139659, or connect with Sara Hassan directly on hassan.sara1@gmail.com
