Schedule some time to worry ... and other COVID-19 thoughts

Around noon each weekday for the foreseeable future, NAMI Colorado Springs will post a roundup of the best stories and resources from the intersection of mental health and the COVID-19 crisis. Here are a few for today. (And sorry for the lateness with this first one! We’ve been having some connectivity issues.)

Photo by Lukas Blazek on Unsplash

This Guardian piece on managing coronavirus anxiety comes with some good ideas for reframing the current situation, with quotes from NAMI’s medical director, Ken Duckworth. It also notes that "The Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies (ABCT) says setting a daily half-hour 'worry period' at the same time and place helps to stay in the present moment the rest of the day."

For parents who are trying to help kids adjust to life in close quarters, making an International Space Station analogy might be helpful, as Mental Health Colorado's Vincent Atchity describes in the Colorado Sun.

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration has published an excellent and easily printable list of online resources that can help support people in recovery from mental health and substance abuse issues.
 
And finally, for those who have guns — or family members with guns — the Giffords Law Center recently published a thoughtful blog post about gun safety during the pandemic. 

We'll be back with more tomorrow. Until then, take care and remember that we're here if you need us during this time.

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