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How Do I Nurture Mental Health in the Pandemic?

Estate Planning For Life's Stages

Missouri Farm Lawyer
We are now in a global pandemic in which many family caregivers will likely experience the same kind of shock, uncertainty and fear that I did. We worry that COVID-19 may sicken our loved ones or as caregivers that we may somehow bring the virus into our homes. We also fear that we might fall ill and leave our care recipients in need.

Nurturing our mental health is as core of a individual responsibility that we have. That’s being tested like we’ve never experienced. The coronavirus has created stress that has brought out the best, and sometimes the not-so-good, in us as individuals and as a community.  The pandemic will eventually be brought under control and we will move on.  But what will the post-pandemic world look like?

AARP’s recent article entitled “Keeping Caregiver Spirits High During the Coronavirus Outbreak” says that there’s no single way to find hope.  Taking action is one way to reduce stress and nurture our mental health.Missouri Ozarks

Many family caregivers draw on their faith, and others on rely on sheer determination. However, there some other ways to create hope for caregivers and their loved ones in this pandemic.

The article provides some psychological ideas to nurture our mental health:

Watch your temperament. Through our disposition and upbringing, each one of us is inclined to look at the world as a pessimist or an optimist. These tendencies become more pronounced under the stress of a crisis. To get a sense of your natural tendency, keep a daily journal and record your current preoccupying thoughts. Keep that document and review it in a week. Rereading those entries will quickly let you know where you stand psychologically and let you to see if you need to take steps to better deal with the current pandemic.

Change your mindset. Since optimism is better for your mental health, make an effort to increase your optimistic thinking. You could bring your attention more fully to some of the unforeseen benefits of this change in our normally hectic lives. Keeping a gratitude journal is another way of heightening your awareness of the good things we still have.

Rearrange your activities. Directing your activities can result in a more hopeful outlook. Don’t watch hours of cable news shows, because it can have a negative effect on your psyche. Keep informed but balance news with engaging in fun activities.

Contact your positive-minded friends. It is more crucial than ever to virtually contact your friends and family members for support by sharing experiences, fears and good wishes. Reach out to those who can sustain a more balanced and realistic view, acknowledging these negative times but also the positive possibilities.Ozarks Legacy Law's office in Republic Missouri

Reference: AARP (March 31, 2020) “Keeping Caregiver Spirits High During the Coronavirus Outbreak”

Suggested Key Terms: Elder Law Attorney, Caregiving

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