The COVID19 global pandemic ushered in a period of significant loss and grief to everyone, those on the frontline, patients in hospital and families unable to visit their loved ones. The loss of life of loved ones, succumbing to the virus and the loss of life as we knew it, has manifest grief into the homes of the global community.

 

During this unprecedented time we are simultaneously processing individual grief and our collective grief as a global community.

 

What we grieve may vary and range widely:

 

• Constant worry about family and friends

• Anxiety about job security and financial uncertainty

• Concern for safety

• Loneliness as a result of sheltering-in-place and social distancing

• Fear about what happens next and the future

• Disagreements with loved ones about how to stay safe and healthy

 

Grief may manifest in different ways in your day to day, like:

 

• Being easily distracted

• Having trouble focusing

• Sleep disruptions: sleeping more than usual or not sleeping

• Low overall energy

• Re-experiencing past grief

• Flare up of other mental health issues

• Irritability

• Changes in appetite: eating more or eating less than usual

 

Regardless of how you experience grief, NOW is the time to rededicate time to care for you.

 

Here are a few potentially helpful suggestions:

 

• Focus on the basics.

• Eat healthy meals, stay hydrated, shower regularly, and move around in ways that feel good to you.

• Create a structure for yourself.

• In the unpredictable world, making a predictable schedule for your life can help.

• Limit screen time.

• Whether you are watching the news constantly or comparing your life to others on social media, anxiety spikes with too much of either.

• Narrow your time horizon.

• Focus less on the next six months or Thanksgiving and instead, think about what you want to do tomorrow or over the weekend

• Accept your feelings.

• Your feelings are valid and repress your feelings, they may come out in unexpected and unwelcomed ways.

• Find someone to talk to. A counselor or a therapist can help if you feel you need one.

• There are many options, ranging from in person therapists to those who utilize telehealth to anonymous phone lines. There are some excellent apps, like Headspace which can help you to focus and stay calm, using meditation and mindfulness

• Take a moment each day to express at least one thing for which you are grateful.

• There is so much negativity around, we all need to remind ourselves about what we like in our life.

• Remember, you are not alone.

• Make time to connect with others, while maintain social distancing measures: phone, video chat, online game, zoom/skype with your entire family. Remind yourself, although we stay physically separated, we still have a network of support surrounding us.