Supporting Mental Well-being During COVID-19

Tips to Reduce COVID-19 Anxiety

It's normal to be experiencing increased stress and anxiety right now. It is important to be gentle with yourself and others, and to take steps to support both your own and your family's mental well-being. Consider these tips to support your mental well-being during the COVID-19 response.

Find Your Happy Place: Tips to Reduce COVID-19 Anxiety (PDF)
Feel free to print and distribute this resource to others.

Staying Connected

Tips to remain connected while practicing social distancing or in quarantine:

• Use technology to stay in touch if available, especially video contact. Seeing someone's facial expressions can help increase connection.
• Check in with your friends, family, and neighbors regularly, using texts, phone calls, emails and other virtual tools.    
• Wherever you can, help people in your life who may be more vulnerable (e.g. those with no access to the internet or need help grocery shopping)
• Connect with the people in your household. Use this time to improve your existing relationships!
• Manage your stress. Create a daily self-care routine. Exercise, meditate, and keep to a daily routine as much as possible. 
• Show kindness to others in your community. This is very stressful for many people, especially those who are vulnerable and families who may be struggling already with poverty or other family stressors. It is also very stressful for health care workers and their families. Helping others increases your sense of purpose and value, improving your own well-being. It's not just family and friends who require support, but others in your community.

Connect Online

• National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Minnesota is hosting a variety of online courses and support groups. Check the website for up-to-date information.
• The Integrative Psychiatry and Wellness Program is offering NEW Resource starting June 1, 2020: The Summer Series to Build Resilience Skills
• Coping with COVID: A Free Community Outreach Service. River Ridge invites you to register for a free online community support group to learn skills on how to help manage stress and anxiety. Every Tuesday 9:00-10:30 a.m.

Other Resources

• Six Daily Questions to Ask Yourself in Quarantine
• CDC: Stress and Coping
• CDC: Helping Children Cope
• MDH: Everyday Tools and Tips for Mental Well-being (PDF)
• Support for People with Mental Illness Who Are Sick with COVID-19 (PDF)
• Supporting Senior Mental Well-being in Congregate Living during COVID-19 (PDF)

Organizational Resources

• Mental well-being tips, resources, and tools to share with public health responders and employees (PDF) - Includes sample messages about mental well-being that can be shared with staff.
• Daily Work Progress Journal – A worksheet to help individuals track incremental progress, state engaged, find purpose and maintain well-being at work. 

Hotlines

If you are experiencing emotional distress or a mental health crisis please reach out to any of the following resources.

• SAMHSA's Disaster Distress Helpline
• National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1- 800-273-TALK (8255)
• Crisis Text Line: Text “MN” to 741741
• Minnesota Mobile Mental Health Crisis Line: Call **CRISIS (**274747). For landlines, see the directory for mental health crisis phone numbers in Minnesota by county.
• MN WarmLine Peer Support Connection: Call or text 844-739-6369 (5:00 pm to 9:00 am)