Whether you're working from home, in a hospital or not at all, it is important to make your mental health a priority as we all do our part to fight COVID-19. Lucky for you, these Philly experts are here with their best tips on how to do so.
Dr. Jennifer Caudle
Family Physician
Associate Professor, Rowan University
“Stay connected spiritually. Even though churches and faith centers aren’t holding services in person, many are doing services online. Staying connected spiritually can be very helpful during this time. Connecting with others via phone conversations, FaceTime and Skype is very important. Just because we can’t be with others in person doesn’t mean we can’t communicate and connect with others.” drjencaudle.com
Lauren Holland
Owner, Makaristic
“Self care, which I define as the process of learning to radically love yourself at every point in your life journey, is a topic that comes up again and again in sessions. The advice that I find myself repeating regularly is to find your joy—think of the things that make you feel happy and focus on adding more of them to your everyday life. Conversely, think of the things that add stress, anxiety or painful emotions and work on removing or reducing them.” makaristic.com
Dr. Amy Langsam
Licensed Clinical Psychologist, The DBT Center of Philadelphia
“Create routine. Whether you’re living alone or have a family household to run, it is important to create a structure that works for you. Designating times for things such as work, preparing and eating meals, self-care, schoolwork and chores can be helpful. It’s easy to get into a habit of either sleeping in or wearing your pajamas all day while bingeing on Netflix.” dramylangsam.com
Adrian King
Owner, Healing Arts Collective
“Take some time in nature. There are some lovely retreats within and just outside the city. Make sure it’s not too crowded with people. Reconnect with the beauty of Mother Earth and recharge with vitality. Get creative. Explore art, music, poetry, gardening, dance and other right brain activities. The arts are a powerful way to channel and express your frustrations constructively.” healingartscollective-pa.com
Gloria Shepard
Meditation Teacher and Counselor, The Imperfect Journey
“Meditation is a key form of self care for me. It is not really about being calm; it's about showing up and being aware of the real experience we're having. So I think of my practice as a time to sit and notice how I'm feeling, to be tender with myself (even the cranky and yucky parts) and to keep coming back to the present moment and unhooking from the stories in my head.” gloriashepard.com
Stephanie Moore
Shamanic Practitioner and Life Coach, Village Wellness
“Be grateful. Gratitude is the most nourishing energy in the world. When we are grateful to others and to ourselves we invite an energy of love and expansiveness into the world and the space around us. Feeling sick or sad? Think you have nothing to be grateful for? Just start saying thank you out loud over and over again for a minute straight—by the end of the minute your whole body will be vibrating with love and a sense of gratitude!” villagewellness.net
Photography by: Max van den Oetelaar on Unsplash
