Self-help Resources
Resources to help you manage your own care.
Apps to unwind
Keep connected
Self-care
Stress
YouTube videos
Being in isolation and sick with COVID can be worrisome.
Try these tips to manage your anxiety while you are ill:
- Check in with your health care provider and follow their recommendations
- Take it one hour at a time
- Find things to do that are enjoyable and restful like listening to a story, reading, watching a movie, or doing a puzzle
- Connect with people who care about you through text and video regularly
- Take care of your symptoms and do things that help you to feel better like take a bath
- Ask people to bring you what you need, people will want to help
- Call one of our counselors – we are here for you
A ten-minute meditation session for a daily reset.
If you are short on time and looking to make personal and physical wellness space, this session is for you.
Nate will guide and demonstrate mindfulness, meditation, and breathing techniques to help you feel grounded and refreshed.
No experience is required. Whether you’ve practiced meditation before or are new to it, this is a session for everybody looking to improve their own well-being.
Self-care tips and resources
Daily wellness tips and ideas on ways to get support. Though simple, these reminders and resources can make a difference in your life during these difficult times.
Take care of your body
Eat well, exercise each day, get plenty of rest, and be careful not to overuse alcohol and drugs. Remember that exercise can be any kind of physical activity (walking, gardening, yard work) as long as it gets your body moving. Follow your treatment plan, if you have one, and take medications as prescribed. When we treat our body well, we are better able to manage stressful life events.
You can get exercise right now using the 7 Minute Workout (gets you moving no matter where you are).
Set reasonable goals
Mastering something, even something very simple, can help us to feel more in control of our day-to-day lives. Find something that you can do from start to finish every day, no matter how small the task. Decide what must get done today and what can wait. Priorities may shift to reflect changes in schedules and routines and that is okay. Recognize what you have accomplished at the end of the day.
You can set some goals for yourself in a journal or by using an app like Strides. Or minimize your media exposure with the Social Fever app.
Strides | Track habits + SMART goals | Apple
Monitor your media usage
Social Fever | Stop smartphone addiction | Google
Practice gratitude
Finding a way to support someone else with a telephone call, note, or needed supplies, supports your own well-being and the well-being of your community. End the day by journaling or talking about what you are grateful for. You can also try using an on-line gratitude journal.
Grateful | Gratitude journal | Apple
Mobile Apps: COVID Coach
A stand-alone education and self-care tool, or as a supplement to professional mental health care.
English version | Download App
En Español version | Download App
Older adults resources
Elder support resources | Google Doc
Parent and caregiver resources
Support resources | Google Doc
First Responder resources
Support resources | Google Doc
Stress management resources
The daily meditation app for the Black community
A safe space for the Black community to develop a daily meditation habit.
Mindfulness Meditation
Guided meditation for mental & physical relaxation, presence, and ease (10 minutes).
English | MP3
Stress management plan
Create your own Daily Stress Management Plan and commit to improving your overall health.
Daily Stress Management Plans available in English and Spanish. The 1st page is printable and perfect for the fridge door. The second page is a fillable file perfect to live on your computer:
Apps to help you relax and unwind
Here are some apps that can be really helpful for managing anxiety and depression.
- Belly Bio | Biofeedback – diaphragmatic breathing | Apple
- Breathe2Relax | Stress management | Apple | Android
- Colorish | Anti-stress coloring book | Android
- iNaturalist | Enjoy nature | Apple | Android
- Mindfulness Coach | Free mindfulness practices | Apple | Android
- Mindshift | Self-rating and diary | Apple | Android
- My Life | Check in and meditation | Apple | Android
- Play A Game | Vibrant games library | Apple | Android
- Read a book | Downloadable books | Apple | Android | Microsoft
- SAM | Self-help for anxiety management | Apple | Android
- Social Fever | Stop smartphone addiction and monitor your tech use | Android
- Stop, Breathe & Think | Guided meditations | VISIT
- The Breathing Butterfly | Basic breathing | Apple
- The Plum Village App | Relaxation practices offered by Zen master Thich Nhat Hanh | Visit
- Virtual Hope Box | Self-help for anxiety management | Apple | Android
- What’s Up? | Anxiety self-management | Apple | Android
Videos
Learn about a wide variety of topics to understand what you may be feeling and to help you manage your own self-care, on your own time.
Put your coping skills into one bag
How you can make your own emotional first aid kit.
Ambiguous grief
Managing emotional losses.
Thanks to The Riverside Traumatic Center
Interrupted grief
Modifying our rituals.
Thanks to The Riverside Traumatic Center
Teen voices
Coping with the pandemic.
Thanks to The Riverside Traumatic Center
Brain fog
The neuroscience behind it.
Thanks to The Riverside Traumatic Center
Anxiety relief techniques
Reduce anxiety fast and feel more calm.
Thanks to Dr. Ali Mattu
Overcoming pandemic re-entry anxiety
How to cope with the anxiety of returning to work and school during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Thanks to Dr. Ali Mattu
How to practice mindfulness in everyday life
10 Simple exercises you can try right now.
Thanks to Dr. Ali Mattu
Stress-Management Techniques for Front Line Workers
Three techniques to help you manage stress.
Thanks to Johnson & Johnson
Connect with others
Talk with people you trust about your concerns, how you are feeling, and share how you are managing day-to-day. Digital tools can help keep you stay connected with friends, family, and neighbors when you aren’t able to see them in person. Follow social distancing guidelines so that you can visit with people safely in person.
If you need to, use your preferred video conferencing system to connect with your family and friends like Google Meet, Zoom, FaceTime, or Skype. Many are free and have on-line tutorials to help you learn how to use them.