Looking after your psychological and mental health

Author: SCIRE Professional Team | Reviewer: Rachael Neal | Published: 5 August 2020 | Updated: ~

Historical pandemic information reproduced with its original publication context.

Our normal daily routines and activities are changing with the current pandemic situation, which can feel unsettling. You may find that some things you usually did to look after your wellbeing have become difficult to carry on. Though you may not have control over those changes, you can focus on what choices and coping strategies you have that are within your control.

Try organizing your days to include a variety of activities that you know will improve your general mood. You can strive for a routine that is a balance of activities that give you feelings of pleasure, achievement, and closeness.

You will get a sense of accomplishment when you, for instance, choose to finish a work task, complete an exercise routine, or learn to cook a new recipe. A pleasure activity may be reading a book or watching a favourite comedy show. Schedule a video call with a friend or family to feel connected.

If you feel overwhelmed or unmotivated, break tasks down to pieces that you can work on, or set a goal to work for a small chunk of time rather than having the goal to finish something all at once.

As someone with a SCI, you have likely already experienced uncertainty. It is the ‘not knowing’ how things are going to turn out that can be difficult to cope with. The coronavirus uncertainty and isolation can be particularly worrying when you have additional health care needs.

There are different levels of worry and anxiety. Anxiety is a natural emotion and worrying is common during change. Remind yourself that you will not feel this way forever and that there are things you can do to cope. Use the diagram on the left to see if you are in the ‘fear zone’ and identify specific steps you will try to move towards learning and growth zones.