SelfCare – Stress Management

As of 11/23/20

Undoubtedly this time will be stressful for many, with limited access to friends and family members and the global situation changing on a daily basis. Here are some strategies we can use to help minimize our stress during this time!

• Keep in touch with friends and family! Remember, everyone’s in this together. Touch base regularly with family through phone calls, FaceTime, Skype or even video games. Have virtual happy hours with your friends and other WFH colleagues.
• Use this time to learn stress management techniques
  • Meditation- try apps such as Calm, Headspace, Insight Timer
    • Headspace provides free meditations: https://www.headspace.com/covid-19
  • Podcasts such as Meditative story and Anxiety Slayer
  • Yoga
  • Journaling
  • Crafting- painting, drawing
  • Books: Many public libraries are closed, but if you have a library card, you can access free digital books, audiobooks, and magazines at https://www.overdrive.com/apps/libby/
  • Check out 3rd year GW Med Student Melissa Greenblatt’s page on instagram for other tips: https://www.instagram.com/b.well_bymel/

Limit unnecessary exposure to the news. Unfollow the unnecessary news accounts on Instagram, Twitter, and the like. Staying informed is important, try to limit news to once daily, for example either in the morning or evening. A good way to do this is to ask your “hey google” or “Alexa” to update you on the news to get a rundown of the latest headlines without feeling overwhelmed. Additionally, make sure you are getting your news from reliable sources such as Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) or World Health Organization (WHO) or this guide!