As the national response to COVID-19 continues to unfold, many people are facing a heightened level of uncertainty. This, coupled with providing services in new ways and with fewer opportunities for in-person connection, can take a toll on our mental health and the mental health of advocates. The following resources offer helpful reminders for how we can tend to ourselves as we are caring for others.
General Mental Health
- National Alliance on Mental Health (NAMI) COVID-19 Information and Resources
- Mental Health America's Resource Collection
- UCSF's Resources to Support Your Mental Health During the COVID-19 Outbreak
- Full Frame Initiative's Wellbeing Orientation For Uncertainty and Stress in the Time of COVID-19
- Mayo Clinic Mental Health Tips
- Mental Health Tips for Quarantine (attached below)
Grief
- Medium Article, "It's Time to Emotionally Prepare For What's Coming"
- American Psychological Association Article, "Grief and COVID-19: Mourning Our Bygone Lives"
- Harvard Business Review article, "That Discomfort You're Feeling Is Grief"
- Healthline article, "How 'Anticipatory Grief' May Show Up During the COVID-19 Outbreak"
Anxiety
- CDC's COVID-19 Managing Stress and Anxiety resource
- AFSP's Taking Care of Your Mental Health in the Face of Uncertainty
- Harvard Business Review article, "Anxiety is Contagious. Here Are Ways to Contain It"
Isolation and Depression
- https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/joyful-parenting/202003/behavioral-activation-prevent-depression-during-covid-19
- Urban Indian Health Institute publication, "Physically Distant but Socially Close: Indigenous Resilience and COVID-19"
Insomnia and Exhaustion
- Mindful article, "Zoom Exhaustion is Real. Here are Six Ways to Find Balance and Stay Connected."
- QZ article, "Our Sleep is Linked to How We Process Coronavirus Dread"
- Smithsonian article, "Insomnia and Vivid Dreams on the Rise with COVID-19 Anxiety"
- PsyCom tips on dealing with COVID-19 related insomnia
Substance Abuse
- SAMHSA's Tips for Taking Care of Your Behavioral Health
- National Center on Domestic Violence, Trauma, and Mental Health Tipsheet on Supporting Survivors' Access to Substance Use and Mental Health Services During the COVID-19 Emergency
Racism
- Huffington Post article, "Self-Care Tips for Asian Americans Dealing with Racism Amid Coronavirus"
- "Racial Trauma Is Real" article (not COVID-19 specific) with Racism Recovery Plan worksheet template
- ADAA webinar, "Effects of Racism on Mental Health" (tips and strategies start around 50 minutes into the webinar)
- Icarus Projects' Mad Maps for Madness and Oppression
- Prentis Hemphill Street Somatics: Tips for Regulating During Uprisings (video with captions in English)
As we encourage individual coalition staff and local program advocates to care for themselves during this time, it is equally important to remember that self-care requires structural support. Some RSP publications that may be helpful to revisit specific to sexual assault services provision, coalition work, and the interplay between individual care and structural support include:
- Organizational Strategies to Alleviate Vicarious Trauma
- Vicarious Trauma and the Coalition
- Organizational Trauma and Resilience
Other resources/activities:
- ACESDV Self-Care During COVID-19 Activity Book
- Kokeb Studio Free Coloring Pages
- The Wellness Society's Coronavirus Anxiety Workbook
- Ricardo Levin Morales free social justice coloring pages
- Southerners On New Ground recorded webinar, "Strategies for Getting Grounded and Staying Principles in uncertain Times"
- Laura Khoudari blog post, "6 Steps to Create A Trauma-Sensitive Approach to Your Home Movement and Exercise Practice"
- "Yoga for Trauma" videos
- "What Do You Need": A Needs Assessment and Resource Information Storage Tool
- Move to End Violence's Love Notes Activity
- Duke University Press reading list "Care In Uncertain Times" Syllabus (free through June 30)
- A mental health tool specifically for Asian American folks from the author of Open In Emergency, Mimi Khuc: Self-Care in the Time of COVID-19 -- Mental Health from a Disability Studies, Asian American Studies, and Arts Approach
