The Covid-19 Pandemic March 14, 2020

We are going through something very unsettling and anxiety-provoking, so please think about spending some time enjoying nature. A walk, some sunshine. Spend time chatting with family, and leaving screens down. Play board games, card games. Buy some flowers, plant some bulbs or herbs. Listen to music and dance around your kitchen. Limit things that increase stress - constant news updates, turn off the alerts on your phone. The 24-hour news cycle is not good for our mental health.

We will get through this. We haven't faced a pandemic of this magnitude before, but we are a resilient species. Be kind, be patient, be grateful for small things. Be appreciative of the frontline workers who are keeping us going. The nurses and doctors yes, but also the grocery store clerks, mail and package deliverers, cops and the garbage collectors.

Anxiety feeds on catastrophic thinking, and listening to too much bad news. Being prepared is wise, being careful makes sense, but constant obsessing and checking our news feed can increase fear and reduce our immunity.

Connection is what will keep us going. Our social networks can be a huge help in this regard. Don’t forget to talk on the phone to loved ones as isolation is a real problem when people work from home for extended periods. Keep to your schedule as much as possible, and do small things each day that give you a small spark of joy or comfort. This is a marathon not a sprint.

With care and compassion,

Theresa Sturley LCSW

Photo credit - birds on the Loire, Tracey Gray Mann

Keeping calm and carrying on March 22, 2020

Things in New York City are ramping up. We are all trying to practice safety and social distancing - it’s a change and a challenge. Stores are adjusting to the new rules - as are we. Keeping 6’ apart in cramped stores and pharmacies is easier said than done. But, we are also getting a sense of the danger to us - the lack of tests for ordinary folk, the concern over the lack of respirators and hospital beds. Hearing Governor Cuomo is reassuring for many - he exemplifies strong leadership. Clear, decisive, caring. He even normalized getting mad at his dog due to the stresses of staying cooped up. We need this.

I see kindness still, but also a strong edge of anxiety and fear. People on and off social media are arguing about who is taking the right approach, feeling angry at the Government response, experiencing frustration over lack of masks and protective gear. It’s a shame that we are feeling the stress, and it is dividing some of us. I love 12-step adages - control what you can control and let go of what you cannot.

So, keep up your socializing in new ways - virtual knit-ins, dance parties on Zoom, an old-fashioned phone call. Feeling like people care about us is crucial, and mood boosters are an immunity builders. Laughter is also the best medicine. I loved the kids/pets as coworkers meme on social media, and the Israeli mom expressing herself strongly about distance learning with 3 kids.

With care and compassion

Theresa Sturley LCSW