We live in strange times, united by a bitch named COVID-19. Remember those times you’d lament about only wanting some time to lie around on your couch and do nothing? Now that a lot of nothing is happening, a lot of crazy is setting in--stir crazy, that is.

Author Kay Hutchison of My Life in 37 Therapies has five therapies that begin with “S” to help with our cabin fever.

SLOW DOWN
You now have a once-in-a-life-time opportunity to slow everything down. The strictures are gone, just let it all go. Take time over the simple things in life. Eating, walking, cooking, and sleeping. Perhaps turn off all the notifications on your devices and just check in with things a few times during the day.

SORT YOUR DAY
Even if you aren’t working and having to look after children it’s worth trying to have a degree of routine, a schedule. Nothing too rigid but it’s worthwhile to set out rough times for Working – Eating – Sleeping – Exercising – Relaxing – and having Fun.

SILENCE
Be willing to welcome silence into your day, and even being completely alone. We’ve become used to incessant noise, music, traffic, phone conversations, but it’s not a natural way of being. If you are self-isolating, try to find joy in being on your own. Many people who live alone are probably at an advantage at this time as they are naturally used to being self-sufficient and enjoying their own company. 

SLEEP
As the pressures of society are changing it’s a great opportunity to make time for a good night’s sleep.  You’ve possibly always thought taking a slow, relaxed approach to going to bed was a good idea but never quite managed it. Now might be the time to try. Put down the digital devices in the early evening, ignore the news headlines, take a bath, go to bed with some light reading, perhaps even listening to a guided meditation or some soothing music. 

SELF-HEALING
There’s one simple, no-cost, practice we can do which will help us and our bodies through this time. Slow and gentle breathing. In for a count of 6, hold it for 2, then breathe out for 6. Notice the cool, clean air as you breathe in, the warmer air as you breathe out.

Crack Wise-dom: These are helpful tips. Because we can’t kick COVID-19 in the crotch like we want to…

While we’ve made a lot of progress, there is still some stigma surrounding anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, ADHD and more. So, let’s make this new year one of a new outlook.

Dr. Vinay Saranga is a psychiatrist and founder of Saranga Comprehensive Psychiatry. He says there are nine myths surrounding mental issues:

Mental illness isn’t real: According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, approximately 1 in 5 adults in the U.S.—43.8 million, or 18.5%—experiences mental illness in a given year. Mental illness is very real and is accompanied by many uncomfortable and debilitating symptoms.

Mental illness only occurs in weak people: Mental illness can happen to anyone. It’s not about how smart or strong you are. It’s usually a result of an imbalance of certain brain chemicals, is hereditary, due to your environment or in response to specific life events and circumstances.

You can ‘just get over it:’ Telling someone with anxiety or depression to “snap out of it” or “just get over it” is one of the worst things you can say. It diminishes the severity and seriousness of the condition, makes it sound like you don’t believe what they are going through, and knocks down their self-esteem.

Anxiety is just nerves: Anxiety disorders are the most common psychiatric conditions and include OCD, panic disorder, PTSD and generalized anxiety disorder. Sometimes anxiety is in response to a specific set of circumstances that are quickly addressed and resolved. Other times, anxiety can become a real psychiatric condition that must be addressed for a lifetime.

Depression is just a bad case of the blues: Depression involves much more than just feeling sad. It’s a serious psychiatric condition that leaves the sufferer feeling tired, hopeless, at a higher risk of suicide, problems with appetite, feeling guilty, loss of self-worth and aches and pain.

Stress is not a big deal: Life is chaotic and all the craziness usually manifests itself as stress. Unfortunately, many people play this off as nothing to worry about. Stress is a very big deal and can lead to heart disease, high blood pressure and more. Learning to deal with stress is important for your mental and physical health

Antidepressants and antianxiety meds are handed out like candy: The truth is, many general practitioners and family doctors write too many prescriptions for psychiatric medications instead of referring their patients to a psychiatrist. Nonetheless, these medications are a lifesaver for people who are truly suffering from anxiety and depression.

My ADHD is kicking in: Joking about ADHD is not funny. We’ve seen a spike in the diagnoses of ADHD in recent times, many times an incorrect diagnosis at that. ADHD is a real neurodevelopmental disorder that occurs in children, young adults and can go on into adulthood.

My OCD is kicking in: OCD is often used to describe someone who is super organized, a neat freak or checks things over and over again. The truth is, OCD is a real anxiety disorder that severely interrupts a person’s ability to function unless certain rituals or sequences are followed.
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​So… let’s stop judging each other, and instead support each other. Who couldn’t use a friend?