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5 Ways to Lift Your Mood During the Coronavirus Pandemic
Because I could desperately use some good vibes right about now.
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Thankfully, I have a standing weekly therapy appointment—but I also recently hopped on a call with Shannon O'Neill, PhD, a very positive, pleasant therapist, first thing in the morning (honestly, a wonderful way to start your day), to ask what on Earth can help lift our moods during a time like this.
Interestingly, Dr. O'Neill, who's an assistant professor of psychiatry at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York, explained that one reason it’s been hard for people to maintain a sense of peace during this pandemic is because it's forced many of us to actually act out behaviors that are typical of depression. "A lot of the rules are mimicking depression symptoms,” Dr. O’Neill says. Think about it: People are being instructed to isolate themselves from loved ones and spend most of their time inside, with very little contact with the outside world. (To be clear, staying indoors isn't causing depression, but many of the social distancing regulations we're obeying to keep others safe may look a lot like depression symptoms. Also important: Those currently dealing with depression, or others who have previously dealt with it, may feel extra challenged right now.)
Still, Dr. O’Neill gave me some tips on how to lift our moods even just a little bit right now. Here are a few (super simple) practices to do each day to keep your spirits stable during a time when things are decidedly unstable.
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1. Ask what made you happy before this started, then do more of it.
It’s getting really challenging to remember a time before all of this madness started, but it can be helpful to think back to your normal routine, pre-pandemic, and question what it was that brought you joy. That will look different for everyone, of course: It might include spending time with your family members, getting in a good workout, or connecting with your spirituality (for me, it's running.)
Once you identify what made you happy before all of this, make a plan to do more of it. "It sounds simple, [but] it's a type of treatment," says Dr. O'Neill. I'm adding an extra 15 minutes to my outdoor run, or my time spent on the elliptical if it's raining outside, but you could FaceTime your sister a few more times a week or extend your workout an extra 30 minutes. Think of what you like and want to do—and then do more of it.
2. Remind yourself of all you have to be thankful for.
Bad news is everywhere right now, and if you spend any time at all on the Internet, you’re likely going to confront a lot of horrifying reports. But you can intentionally try to balance the scale of positive and negative news in your life.
For this, Dr. O’Neill recommends an app called Three Good Things, which I downloaded almost immediately after talking to her. The app, she says, will remind you to log three things you’re grateful for every day (think journaling, but on your phone instead.)
There’s no shame in keeping it simple, Dr. O’Neill adds, explaining that you don’t have to come up with three big wins every day—just three parts of your day that went well (mine: my mom is currently baking her oatmeal cake—one of my faves). If technology isn’t your thing, try jotting them down in a notebook, or just stopping to mentally count off three things you’re grateful for.
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3. Treat yourself—especially first thing in the morning.
Being stuck in quarantine can cause you to develop a maddening sense of repetition. Getting up and doing the exact same thing day after day can be both exhausting and irritating, especially in the morning, when you're waking up to this bizarre reality yet again.
A good way to counter this might be to treat yourself to something indulgent when you’re going about your morning routine. Dr. O’Neill recommends trying something you normally wouldn’t treat yourself to, like a new breakfast recipe or coffee creamer, for instance, or a spa-like shower instead of your normal 15-minute rinse off, so you start your day off with a positive outlook. You can also opt for a more mindful wake-up by starting your day with a morning meditation (like me).
4. Use any pent-up energy to your creative advantage.
I know: You’ve had enough of people telling you to just, like, start a puzzle or something. But doing something creative really can help you through this troubling time because it distracts you, especially if you pick a creative exercise that forces you to learn a new skill. “Creativity helps you focus on something that takes all your attention,” says Dr. O’Neill. If you’ve been meaning to teach yourself to knit, get to work on that coloring book you got for Christmas, or dig into more creative writing (guilty!), now’s the time to jump into it.
That said, don’t make whatever creative activity you try into a competitive exercise. Dr. O’Neill emphasizes that, while trying new things can be a refreshing distraction, it’s important not to get caught in the trap of comparing how you’re spending your quarantine downtime with the way other people are spending theirs. Your number one priority right now (and always, to be honest) should be keeping yourself healthy and well—not racing to get ahead of the rest of the world.
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5. Schedule time to worry (because you're going to do it anyway).
This might seem counterproductive at first, but, if done correctly, it can actually help you worry less. Scheduling time to worry is an evidenced-based practice used by some patients with anxiety, says Dr. O’Neill. But this doesn’t mean you can just pick random times throughout the day to wallow in the bad news you hear. Instead, the practice hinges on structure: Pick a 20-minute time slot each day to allow yourself to worry. Get as detailed as you can—even down to planning what chair you’ll sit in and what you’ll do during this time (such as journaling). Use your allotted worry time to fret about everything that’s making you nervous, but set a timer so that you know to snap out of it when worry time is over.
The key is to only worry during worry time—this won’t necessarily help you if you allow yourself to keep worrying for the rest of the day. If something worrisome creeps up later in the day after you’ve already had your scheduled worry time, remind yourself that you can worry about whatever this new problem is, but that you’ll have to do so during the next day’s worry time. There’s a chance that you will have already forgotten about it by the next day’s worry time—which might even tell you how insignificant it was in the first place.
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I have been keeping a schedual of my day like I normally would pandemic or not because it makes time go by faster. I try to go outside extra weather its playing with my dog or just sitting by my pool for a few. It has helped me a lot with managing anxiety and my anxiousness.
@gabriellemrasiectskin-com I need to make a schedule like you. I have one for the kids school and meals but nothing for me. I'm lost in endless to do lists with no order. Each day is a haze of busy work to keep my mind distracted.
I can identify with you Lindsey. Each day just runs into another. I can feel myself getting anxious so I have to occupy my mind with different activities. Jigsaw puzzles on my i pad are a good distraction for me.
During the beginning of the pandemic, I had really bad anxiety. I felt trapped, I couldn't really do much because everything was shut down, but eventually I figured out things to do like teaching myself how to do my own hair, cooking different meals for the family, and taking little roads trips with my sister where we had no destination just to clear our heads for a little bit.
I totally feel you on that. I cant even really tell if the pandemic is what caused my anxiety to uproar like it did, but because of it I ended up getting promoted at work and taught myself how to be a surgical technician. Hanging out with my family helped a lot too, obviously just being careful. I also began exercising and just working on myself to help with my anxiety.
Sydney and Keyonna
Many people struggled with anxiety at the beginning so did I. Never had I been through a mass pandemic. My grandmother told me stories about the terrible infection called Diphtheria. It was very serious and not having medicine many people died. Her family was large and it spread through her sisters and brothers. Three died from it. She had it but was lucky to recover. Finally a vaccine was made and many people took it. Babies even get it. It must have been super stressful back before the vaccine too.
I remember standing in line at school to drink the polio vaccine. It was very sweet tasting. The liquid was also dropped on a sugar cube which then would be eaten like candy
@keyonnastarksiectskin-com I also felt so trapped but getting outside and walking my dog definitely helped.
I experienced more of a frustration and a yearning for social interaction. I am a social butterfly and i thrive off of being immersed in a crowd of people. So much so that group zoom calls saved me for the months of quarantine we endured. All of my friends would hope of a zoom call and talk for hours, even have "parties" and drink for celebratory things. I didnt experience a the anxiety side of it until we came out of quarantine. When i realized i had been isolated for months and didnt know how to approach people , if they wanted distance or wanted to talk. Especially going back to work where i met with clients, and the usual thing to do is shake their hand, we'd both go to shake then stand in an awkward silence once we both realized. so that was an adjustment.
@abigailcochraneiectskin-com I agree, after a while it became very frustrating not being able to socially interact with people, friends and family.
I kept busy with an online Pharmacology course. I also liked playing games and puzzles on my IPad. I found when faced with the whole COVID anxiety I used the online course to male myself think about that.
During the pandemic I was dealing with some anxiety. I felt like at one point all it was to do was watch cnn about the pandemic and sleep. I found some joy and anxiety decrease when I began painting. At one point in the pandemic I was painting about 4-5 projects a week. I also started doing yoga every morning it was peaceful.
@deborahwatersiectskin-com I had just bought a ipad not to long before the pandemic so i spent alot of time playing sims city, fashion games and puzzle games on there
@keyonnastarksiectskin-com I also felt trapped like you so I began to walk around my neighborhood it gave me some sense of peace and freedom. I also started baking diffrent desserts.
When the pandemic started I was in 9th grade, during that stage in life I feel it is so important for a child of that age to have interaction with other kids. When I was trapped at my house I lost touch of how people my age are supposed to act and how to talk to others. Schooling from home was also a huge struggle, I am a hands on and visual learner. So, I lost motivation and my grades reflected that.
@abigailcochraneiectskin-com I totally agree, however for my personal experience I never liked zoom because I felt it was not the same as in person interaction. I started to have to see my therapist via zoom and I felt like I could not fully decompress because it was so comfortable being in person and in her office where I saw it as a comfortable environment.
@keyonnastarksiectskin-com I agree, for me as well I found it difficult to do simple daily tasks such as going to the grocery store because I was not used to seeing other people or talking in person.
I think that everyone should have a good therapist! I became a first time mom October 2019 and then the pandemic happened. I had more anxiety about being a mom and figuring out how to be a mom and being myself when my husband was gone with the navy. My anxiety about the pandemic wasn't really there. We lived normal lives and just took precautionary measures. We still went on walks outside, wore a mask/brought hand sanitizer to walk around Target if I needed to get out of the house since I was already home a lot with a baby, visited friends down the street, etc. We lived in Lemoore, CA during the pandemic and it wasn't the scene of what was on the news about Covid. Yes, there's a pandemic, but being secluded/cooped up really has a negative impact on mental health for many like myself so we chose to live normally but with precautions.
The pandemic was a really trying time for everybody. I wish I would have found this article during that time. In the beginning although it was scary and we didn't know what to expect, I was excited to spend time with my family without outside distractions but as the months went by, I became anxious about when it would end.
@rebeccamatuskaiectskin-com I agree. A good therapy can help a lot, especially when you are a mom and you have situations like the pandemic where family weren't traveling to each other as much. We were quarantined and while outside of the pandemic people would visit, being quarantined and not having that social interaction that you might've had before was definitely a trying time.
@karyssamarleriectskin-com Although hard to believe, I can get social anxiety at times, so zoom was the best thing that could happen to me with therapy. I like to be able to disconnect and just be in my safe space. Specially since therapy sessions can be a little intense at times.
I was living in Dubai during the pandemic and the UAE was super strict. We could only leave the house every 3 to 4 days and you had to submit an online pass in the event you were stopped. I was stuck with my spouse in a small apartment and we could not leave. Because I needed an outlet, I start to crochet again to help ease my mind from all the restrictions.
@karyssamarleriectskin-com I empathize with this. IN Dubai we were stuck inside and we had no physical interactions with people. They were super strict in the UAE.
@camiryndavisiectskin-com Same. I was anxious watching the news about what was happening in the US that it was creating anxiety and I wasn't even in the same area.
