How to cope with lockdown

Some sound advice from Monica Navarro Hickey, our Mental Health Advisor.

No Time for Self-Care? Try These 31 Snack-Size Habits

1. Step into the fresh air in the middle of the day.
2. Savor a cup of tea or coffee (or wine) and just do that for 5 minutes.
3. Listen to a playlist of your favorite songs.
4. Take a walk, stretch, or do some form of exercise that doesn’t require you to change your clothes or take a shower after.
5. Discover a new podcast for entertainment, learning, or both.
6. Treat yourself to a wonderful dessert.
7. Take an extra bath or shower for the sensory pleasure — and the privacy. 
8. Make a charitable gift in any amount, to a cause that lights you up.
9. Try to find a new favorite spot in your house – one that you’ve underestimated in the past.
10. Call a friend or family member who always knows just how to pick you up, and who understands that you probably can only chat for 3 minutes, and that’s totally fine.
11. Turn off the news.
12. Wear something that makes you feel great about yourself.
13. Re-watch a favorite TV show or movie, or re-read a favorite book.
14. Volunteer virtually – visiting with homebound seniors, tutoring teens, etc.
15. Send someone a small gift to boost both of you.
16. Bake or cook something with ingredients you already have – something that smells amazing and tastes even better.
17. Pet an animal (but make sure it’s one that wants to be petted).
18. Thank someone who made a positive impact on you in a big or small
    way – and be detailed in your thanks.
19. Kiss or hug someone who wants to kiss or hug you back, and who is in your “pod.” 
20. Watch or listen to stand-up comedy.
21. Burn a candle that smells divine to you.
22. Clean out a closet or drawer and give something away that no longer serves you but that someone else would cherish.
23. Take a nap.
24. Sing a song that reminds you of happy times.
25. Look through old photo albums or watch old videos.
26. Breathe slowly.
27. Watch the sunrise, the sunset, or both.
28. Write in a journal, on a blog, on Facebook or LinkedIn, etc.
29. Make something with your hands – painting, drawing, woodworking, clay, knitting, crochet, needlepoint, or even a pipe-cleaners sculpture.
30. Go through your stack of magazines, and read the ones you love, tossing the rest.
31. Share this list with someone else who could use a boost.

Deborah Grayson Riegel, MSW

Psychology Today