Be prepared but not panicked.
Hope for the best, but get ready for the worst.
Stay steady and strong in the face of uncertainty.
Keep your cool to keep family and loved ones protected.
These sayings sound great and are easy enough to talk about. But the reality can be more challenging. Here are resources to help you and your loved ones deal with uncertain, stressful times. The information provided here is meant to be helpful and has been vetted by mental health professionals. Please note, listing a resource does not indicate endorsement of a product or service.
General Mental Health Resources to Help During Coronavirus
- Enabling People and Organizations in Trying Times – A toolkit from the U-M Center for Positive Organizations that compiles a series of personal and organizational practices based on the research of Positive Organizational Scholarship (POS) with the goal of enabling as many people and organizations around the world to become a part of the solution: https://positiveorgs.bus.umich.edu/enabling-people-and-organizations-in-trying-times/
- Caring for Your Mental Health, Despite Coronavirus– A guide from McLean Hospital that provides practical tips and suggestions from how to talk to children to addressing your own anxiety: https://www.mcleanhospital.org/news/caring-your-mental-health-despite-coronavirus
- Manage Anxiety & Stress During Coronavirus – An overview from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that provides tips for people in general, parents, first responders and those released from quarantine: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prepare/managing-stress-anxiety.html
- Coronavirus and Mental Health Overview – The National Alliance on Mental Health (NAMI) guide that addresses an array of questions relating to pandemic fears and anxieties. Covers topics like managing general anxiety, staying connected when working from home, what to do if you are running out of medication, and questions about loved ones who are incarcerated: https://nami.org/getattachment/About-NAMI/NAMI-News/2020/NAMI-Updates-on-the-Coronavirus/COVID-19-Updated-Guide-1.pdf?lang=en-US
- 7 Science-based Strategies to Cope with Coronavirus Anxiety – A psychologist out of Georgetown University identified seven concrete and evidence-based approaches to help you deal with anxiety: https://theconversation.com/7-science-based-strategies-to-cope-with-coronavirus-anxiety-133207
- Resources for Dealing with Pandemics – The American Psychological Association compiled a great list of articles, guides, podcasts and more to help people in the midst of pandemic crisis: https://www.apa.org/practice/programs/dmhi/research-information/pandemics
- An Anxiety Toolkit – Resources to help manage your anxiety and mental health in a global climate of uncertainty: https://www.virusanxiety.com/
Resources to Help Address Coronavirus with Children
- MARI’s Overview of Recognizing and Responding to Anxiety in Children – Kids, Parents, and Coronavirus: Common Anxieties, How to Recognize and 10 Strategies to Address
- How to Support Children of Different Ages – Comprehensive information for helping families cope with coronavirus, including how children of different ages may react and how to support them from the National Child Traumatic Stress Network: https://www.nctsn.org/sites/default/files/resources/fact-sheet/outbreak_factsheet_1.pdf
- Parenting During COVID-19 – A general article from Psychology Today to help parents navigate challenging times: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/little-house-calls/202003/parenting-during-covid-19
- Taking with Kids About Coronavirus – A video and bullet points from the Child Mind Institute help breakdown how and why you should address coronavirus directly with children: https://childmind.org/article/talking-to-kids-about-the-coronavirus
- Giving You the Language – Scripts for speaking with children about coronavirus, giving you helpful language to start the conversation: https://medium.com/@DrRobyn_25594/7-scripts-to-talk-to-kids-about-the-coronavirus-35d3d70660da
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Printable Version:
Maintaining You and Your Family’s Mental Health During a Pandemic: Resources and Tools (PDF)
Mental Health Crisis Hotlines and Organizations
If you or someone you know is in danger, consider calling 911 or accessing resources to address the crisis. Here are several national and local options:
- The National Suicide Prevention Hotline: https://
suicidepreventionlifeline.org/ or 1-800-273-8255 - Ozone House – Local organization for teens and young adults: https://ozonehouse.org/ or (734) 662-2222
- Crisis Text Line: https://www.crisistextline.
org/ or text the word HOME to 741741 to get started - The Trevor Project offers text, talk or chat for all with an emphasis on LGBTQIA+ youth: https://www.thetrevorproject.
org