Tips for managing your mental stability during stressful times:

• Take a media break. Prolonged exposure to the news can impact your mental health in a negative way. Turn the screens off and go for a walk around your neighborhood, weed the garden, read a book outside, etc. Get creative. Fresh air and sunlight can have a positive effect on mood.

• Take care of your body. Now is a great time to implement some of the healthy lifestyle changes you have been putting off. Make sure you are drinking plenty of water and eating your daily fruits and vegetables.

• Catch up on your hobbies. What hobbies have you been putting off because you did not feel there was enough time in the day? Today is the day to start again.

• Connect with others. Social wellness is just as important as physical wellness. Be sure to check on your friends, family members and neighbors. Take time to re-connect with people you have not talked to in a while.

• Stay positive. Research shows that having a positive attitude can actually improve your health and even drown out negative thoughts and anxious feelings. Find a gratitude partner and share with them one thing daily that you are grateful for.

For additional information on positive thinking and its impact on stress, follow this link:
https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/stress-management/in-depth/positive-thinking/art-20043950

ONLINE RECOVERY RESOURCES

• In the Rooms: https://www.intherooms.com/home/?fbclid=IwAR0jah6iT17ls-QFa_WQbz9d9IbXv92Qgxt0RYOqlPyXhYVsrp2ngHKm-4
• The Token Shop: https://www.thetokenshop.com/Online_AA_Meetings
• Al-Anon Phone Meetings: https://al-anon.org/al-anon-meetings/electronic-meetings/#Phone_Meetings
• National Association of Mental Illness (NAMI) Resources: www.nami.org
• Suicide Hotline: https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org

Free, confidential 24/7 support for people in distress, prevention and crisis resources for oneself and others. Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-TALK or 1-800-273-8255.

OTHER ONLINE SUPPORT COMMUNITIES

• Online text chat with a trained listener for emotional support and counseling.
• An international fellowship of people who desire to have a better sense of emotional wellbeing.
• Virtual support groups on numerous mental health conditions.
• Online peer support groups offering members facing mental health challenges and/or difficult family dynamics a safe place to connect. Support groups include anxiety, depression, marriage/family, OCD and teens.
• Website featuring 200+ online support groups
• Online mental health support network that allows for individuals to connect with others who are living with or supporting someone with mental health conditions, substance use disorders and stressful life events.
• Offers a free, peer-to-peer online support community for those struggling with a wide range of mental health issues.
• Offers online mental health resources, quizzes, news, an “Ask the Therapist” function and online support communities.

PHYSICAL ACTIVITY

YouTube Fitness Videos
Take a YouTube Fitness Class from your living room. Here are a few to get you started:
• Blogilates
• Fitness Blender
• The Fitness Marshall
• HASfit
• Les Mills
• Nate Bower Fitness (Boxing)
• PopSugar Fitness
• Yoga with Adriene
• Walk at Home by Leslie Sansone

Amazon Prime. Check out Amazon Prime for free access to a wide variety of fitness videos, including Zumba and 21-Day Transformation from GymRa. Just search for “fitness” and then filter by “Prime.”

NYT Fitness Guides. The NYT has several fitness guides that include short videos to guide you work out.
• Yoga for Everyone

Yoga Streaming Services. Try a Yoga streaming service. Most offer free trials and have different types of Yoga available.
• CorePower Yoga
• Gaia
• Yoga Glo
• Yoga Today

Exercise Workout Apps.
Try a workout app on your phone. Some are paid, but most have a free trial.
• FitOn (iOS/Android)
• The Ladder (iOS)
• Peloton (iOS/Android)
• Pocket Yoga (iOS/Android)
• Sculpt Society
• Yoga Studio (iOS/Android)

RELAXATION

Phone Apps
Try a mediation or mindfulness app. Some are paid, but likely have a free trial.
• The Breathing App (iOS/Android)
• Calm (iOS/Android)
• Declutter the Mind (iOS/Android)
• FitMind (iOS)
• Headspace (iOS/Android)
• Insight Timer
• Mindwell (iOS/Android)
• Simple Habit (iOS/Android)
• Smiling Mind
• Soundly (iOS/Android)
• Unplug Meditation (iOS/Android)

Try Mediation
Learn how to Meditate with the NYT’s Guide to Mediation.
• https://www.nytimes.com/guides/well/how-to-meditate

Yoga for Relaxation
Yoga practice can also provider relaxation. Check out the NYT’s Guide on How to Relax with Yoga and the Yoga ideas in Section 8 “Physical Activity while at Home.”
• NYT’s Guide