Taking Care of Your Mental Health While Quarantining in New York City April 23, 2020

COVID-19 not only took the entire world by surprise, but it forced every individual to completely reassess their priorities, routines, and ways they communicate. It can be difficult to adjust to these changes in an immediate sense in the first place, but additionally, these changes can also have a huge impact on our mental health, especially since we’re ordered to stay inside and avoid human contact. For us in New York City, this takes on an incredibly large meaning, as we’re used to being in close contact with others at all times – subways, crowded sidewalks, and even tight quarters at the office or at school. This city fits in millions of people in a very small land area, so for us, this change has probably affected us the most.

Living in quarantine means that we all have to work together separately to achieve public safety and health. It’s an odd concept to think about, but containing yourself to avoid the virus and the possible spread to others is the most responsible thing people can be doing at a time like this. It’s worth noting, however, that it can have an incredible impact on people’s wellbeing.

I live alone in New York City. In a sense, I’m very used to my own company, and I actually find myself looking forward to it after a long and tedious day at the office and two frustrating commutes. The first couple of weeks I adjusted pretty easily, as I was able to work from home and leave my apartment for quick walks or trips to the grocery store for necessities. As time goes on, however, I’m certainly starting to feel the impact of isolation. My anxiety about the coronavirus overall has risen, and I find I have to go through different lengths to make sure I’m taking care of my mental wellbeing. Here are a few ways I’m listening to my mind.

• Taking advantage of virtual therapy

I recognize that I’m lucky enough to have insurance that can cover my mental health. I’ve been in therapy for a little over a year now, and I truly feel it’s had a positive influence in my regular “maintenance checks” – even if I’m not feeling specifically overwhelmed about anything at that time, talking to someone on a regular basis has provided a form of consistency that I lean on, and it helps to have an unbiased opinion on events in my life that I need to work through or understand.

A few weeks ago (thanks big-time to technology), we started taking our appointments virtually. It was a bit odd and awkward at first, but we were able to move beyond that quickly enough. I only have 45 minutes with her a week, so I always make sure that I use my time efficiently. Every week we talk about how this new way of life is affecting me, how I’m handling, and what I do to cope with the tough moments. If I find something that has changed due to quarantine, she offers solutions that will help me find my way back or cope. Either way, having her as a companion during this uncertain time has helped me overall face the unknown road ahead.

• Take breaks

This might seem silly, but I found I had to force myself to do this, especially in the very beginning. Since I’m working from home now, I found that I was working many more hours each day – I wasn’t taking lunch breaks with my coworkers, I wasn’t catching up on weekend activities during the afternoon, and I certainly wasn’t commuting two hours each day. So I filled those gaps with more work. It started to weigh a toll on me, and I started to become more agitated, impatient, and slept worse.

Since there wasn’t a clear and deliberate start to my day (arriving at the office) or an end (putting my coat on and heading to the subway or the gym), it was difficult to place boundaries on when my professional and personal time shifted. I now make sure to completely shut my computer down by 6 pm, I block out time on my calendar to eat lunch away from my desk, and I don’t open email during non-working hours. Sometimes I’ll even put myself as “unavailable” for 15 minutes to just take a stretch break, talk a quick walk outside, or to just catch up on texts.

For as long as this continues, I’ll keep providing tips on how to manage this difficult time. I’ve found that what helps from a macro sense is that everyone is in the same position – we’re all trying to figure this out both individually and globally – and we’re all in this together.