The Best Ways to Stay Okay During Quarantine
A short list of resources for anyone strugglingIf you’re struggling, there’s no reason not to ask for help. These are challenging times, and each of us has our own set of challenges to face. And despite what some people say, you can’t solve all of them (or even most of them) by grinning and bearing it. Problems like mental illness, addiction, and domestic violence don’t stop just because our daily routines are interrupted.
Here’s a short list of resources available to those who need it, from helplines to wellness apps. Let’s get through this together.
The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline provides 24/7, free and confidential support for people in distress. 1-800-273-8255
NotOK is a free app that lets you send out alerts at the push of a button to let your therapist or loved ones know when you need help.
Massachusetts General Hospital has a huge collection of mental health resources geared specifically towards the COVID-19 outbreak. Find top shelf, professionally vetted guidance on everything from coping with family stress to dealing with specific mental health issues during quarantine.
Mental Health America has a ton of free webinars from last month archived, covering topics like Older Adults & Isolation during COVID-19, Wellness Routines for Uncertain Times, and things like staying in touch with friends and building resiliency to loneliness.
Headspace has a bunch of great resources they’re offering for free during the pandemic—meditations/sleep and movement exercises, employer/employee resources and tools, and free full subscriptions for all US healthcare professionals. Their page on COVID-19 resources is here.
In The Rooms is a free online recovery tool for addition, substance abuse and other issues. They host 130 weekly online meetings for treatment and have already begun covering some ways to cope with addiction during quarantine.
Backline is a mental health resource specifically geared towards people in the music industry. It was launched before the pandemic, but is extra crucial now that the pandemic’s upended so many musicians’ lives. Connect with one-on-one help or learn how you can offer help to others.
There are a lot of mental health apps out there right now. This list from Verywell Mind rounds up a bunch of them, with tips on which one might be a good fit for you.
Talking to a therapist is the single best thing you can do for your mental health. BetterHelp is talk therapy made easy. They assess your needs and match you with an affordable counselor available by text, call or video chat.
Warmlines is an “early intervention” phone line where folks in recovery or just looking for someone to listen can call for emotional support. There’s various hours for each state’s warmline on their website.
Yoga with Adriene is our favorite YouTube yogi. With nearly 7 million subscribers and hundreds of videos ranging from mediations to workouts that make you sweat. She also made this playlist called Yoga for Uncertain Times.