COVID-19 Mental Health Tips, Tools & Resources
Elizabeth Achilles, LLMFT, Sanctuary Church

Forge deep & meaningful connection.

Share your story and find places to be honest and vulnerable.

• HomeChurches: are small gatherings of 10-20 people who meet in person or online to connect and practice the way of Jesus together.
• Therapy through Paradigm Biblical Counseling
• FREE Virtual Support Groups through Christian Counseling Associates. Fill out your contact information and put “COVID Support Group” in the comments. Or contact 724-396-1510.

Conduct a self-inquiry.

Do a biopsychosocialspiritual wellness scan by free writing your responses to the following.
Discuss your responses with a friend, mentor, or counselor.

• Physical: Have I been in/connected to/moving my body lately? If my body could talk, what would it say?
• Mental: Where have my thoughts been recently? What has occupied my mind? What adjectives would I use to describe my thoughtlife? And what has my self-talk been like lately?
• Emotional: How is my heart? Where have my feelings been? Is there a particular color or hue I’d assign to my recent emotions? Have I been experiencing the depth and range of my various emotions?
• Spiritual: Do I feel connected to God? How’s my relationship with Christ? Do I feel the Holy Spirit’s presence? How’s my communication with the Lord been?

Establish routine.

Days blend together when what used to distinguish one day from the next has been lost, so
maintaining as much of a routine as possible is helpful. You can start by committing to one habit
every morning or evening (like 5 minutes of reading Scripture or taking a walk). You can track
your progress using a habit tracker or increase accountability and connection by inviting
someone to join you in your routine.

Lean into the Sabbath.

Take advantage of this opportunity to slow down and infuse Sabbath principles into your life. You
can start by making a list of things that have historically brought you rest, joy, delight, or
pleasure and use this list as a resource to infuse rest and worship into your days and weeks. The
Ruthless Elimination of Hurry, by John Mark Comer is an approachable and insightful resource for
learning more about sabbath and slowing.

Stay active.

There is a mound of research supporting the psychological effects of moving your body,
exercising, and getting outdoors. There is also psychospiritual benefit to productive work. Make
an actual list of productive activities (projects like organizing a hall closet, taking an online
Spanish class) and another list of pleasant activities (a resource used in dialectical behavioral
therapy). Put these lists somewhere you can see them; cross things off as you do them.