Care During COVID-19

– Practice spirituality from home:

– Facetime with someone else: prayer, discussion, devotion.

– Learn:
– www.northcross.org.nz
– https://masterlectures.zondervanacademic.com/the-story-of-reality-greg-koukl – free 14 days
– https://www.ligonier.org – free to stream

– Practice self-care daily. Take care of your body. Take deep breaths, stretch, or pray/meditate. Try to eat healthy, well-balanced meals, exercise regularly, get plenty of sleep, and avoid alcohol and drugs.

– Create a sense of normalcy and routine in your day.

– Take a moment each day to focus on the big picture.

– Accept that some days you may not be “okay” and roll with your emotional wave.

– Allow yourself and your loved ones to have their own emotional process.

– Get outside, even in your yard, and enjoy time with loved ones.

– Organize your home and declutter-support by offering others what you have but don’t need around the home.

– Stay connected to your support system.

– Have quiet time in your home daily in order to give each other emotional and physical space.

– Engage in a hobby (reading, crafts, exercise at home, etc.)

– Ask how you can be of support to others in ways that feel comfortable to you. Reach out and check on at least 1 person each day who is a loved one, friend or acquaintance.

– Think about a way to support community members through service of any form.

– Support local businesses- shop online, get takeout food, etc.

– Be mindful of the way that you set social limits with friends.

– Reach out for support.

– Create some form of structure for your children who are home from school.

– Be aware of what you put onto social media, ask yourself if this is a necessary and helpful post?

– Do not send unproductive posts, emails, or texts of panic and alarm to others.

– Take breaks from watching, reading, or listening to news stories, including social media. Limit your exposure to news and the topic of COVID-19 to 30 minutes daily in order to obtain necessary information.

– Don’t forget to LAUGH – humour can be the best medicine.

– Make time to unwind. Try to do some other activities you enjoy.

– Connect with others. Talk with people you trust about your concerns and how you are feeling.

– It is normal to feel stressed or anxious in these situations. For support with grief, anxiety, distress or mental well-being, call or text the free ‘Need to talk?’ service on 1737. This is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for you to talk things through with a trained counselor.