To help you, the community, in managing your stress, we at Zephyr surveyed our employees for their top stress management strategies as they specifically apply to this COVID-19 situation. This is the first part of our ongoing series. (Continue reading the series with part 2 here!)
If you have specific questions about any of these (or want to contribute your own), please shoot us an email and we will reply the best that we can. Also, search our media and articles page for the topic that most interests you and perhaps you will find a podcast or video about it. And, of course, you can always make an appointment with us.
We understand that this list is neither comprehensive nor applicable to everyone, so please take what you can or, if you have more to offer, please do so and we will add them in! Also please share this list with your friends, neighbors, and family because it sure doesn’t do any good locked up here on this page by itself. We all deserve peace and healing right now and Zephyr is honored to be a small part of that.
Grouped by staff member and in no particular order, here is our gift to you, humor included:
Getting ready for the day even though I am not leaving the house. I engage in self-care that I otherwise put off, now is the time.
Taking hot baths or using my infrared sauna.
Playing with the kids and allowing them to engage in art activities I typically do solo. Some of these are painting or doing charcoal drawings.
Cooking healthy meals.
Meditating, breath work and relaxation skills.
Playing board and card games: Ticket to Ride, Hearts, Spades, Catan
Playing with the dogs in the backyard
Meditation coloring pages
Yoga Zoom sessions
Listening to music while cooking or baking
Teaching my dog new tricks. If I can figure out how to make the beer fridge dog accessible I may never have to leave the couch again.
Limiting screen time as much as possible, journaling or reading when I feel the pull to look at my phone. Which means I am actually reading the backlog of books on my shelf
Completing one small project a day (clean out the closet, reorganize the kitchen)
Staying connected with friends through games or video chat when I do indulge in screen time
Getting really creative in the kitchen and trying to use the random ingredients I found from the aforementioned kitchen reorganization.
Stop doing things and quiet yourself. In a day and age where most of us lament being too busy and because of it our own houses (often literally) are not in order, this can become an opportunity to take care of your home, metaphorically or literally.
Keep doing things and don't stop. Wait, what? Isn't the one right above this the exact opposite? Yes, it is... sort of. Choosing which one to do depends entirely on who you are and what you need. The only way to know is to stop, if only for a moment, and be quiet enough to know what to do next. Some of us simply cannot shut down and take up new hobbies or watch Netflix all day because we have too many responsibilities — kids, employees, jobs still to work, extended families that need care. If you fall into this camp, please keep moving!
Care for others. Paradoxically, although it seems like you have enough to worry about, this activity occupies the mind so that the individual (you) has less time and brain space to spend on worrying needlessly.
Speaking of worry... fear, like all emotions, is a messenger. Its message to the brain is that a threat or danger is present. In the face of this very dangerous virtual outbreak, I suggest brainstorming how to make an impact right where you are that has nothing to do with waiting for others to act first. This might include making homemade masks and donating them, supporting local businesses that are still open, creating content (YouTube video, podcast, article) and publishing it, or just staying home where you cannot contract or spread the virus. That last one isn't very gratifying - which is tough for a society conditioned for instant gratification - but it is useful.
Watch a movie or read a book that you've been putting off for a really long time.
That’s all for our first post! Part 2 is now up, so click here to continue the series. Stay tuned next week for the rest of the series, and please share this post if you enjoyed it.