COVID-19 Resources

Personal Wellness

• Navigating the Basics about COVID-19
• Children and Families
• Eating Well and Keeping Physically Fit
• Keeping Stress in Check
• Substance Abuse Resources
• Hotlines for Help
• Spiritual Wellness
• Staying Connected
• Volunteering
• This Week’s Staff Pick
• Staff Blog

Navigating the Basics about COVID-19

With so much information available on the internet about COVID-19, it can be cumbersome to navigate and differentiate credible information from rumors.

Here are a couple of basic resources to help you learn the basics about COVID-19:

• Understanding Coronavirus (COVID-19) Terminology
  Will Evans, professor and head of the Mississippi State University (MSU) Food Science, Nutrition, and Health Promotion Department, joins Dr. David Buys, MSU Extension state health specialist, to discuss the terminology being used when discussing the Coronavirus.
• How to Recognize Credible Coronavirus Information
  David Buys, MSU Extension Health Specialist, goes over the ways to recognize a credible online source.

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Children and Families

Coping with the COVID-19 pandemic may be a stressful time for families. Managing stress levels and sharing accurate information in an age-appropriate manner is important. Developing routines, finding outlets for socialization while maintaining physical distancing,

Resources for talking with children about COVID-19:

• Talking with Children about Coronavirus Disease 2019
  Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) share a roadmap for talking with children about the COVID-19 pandemic. Basic facts about COVID-19 are also shared.
• How to Talk to Children About the Coronavirus
  Melissa Tenhet, a child development expert, joins Dr. David Buys, MSU Extension state health specialist, to discuss how we can talk to children about the coronavirus.
• Talking With Children: Tips for Caregivers, Parents, and Teachers During Infectious Disease Outbreaks
  U.S. Department of Health & Human Services fact sheet for helping children manage their stress, broken down by age group.

Resources for helping children and families cope during COVID-19:

• Coronavirus: What to Do If Your Kids Stay Home
  Pranita Tamma, M.D., M.H.S., a pediatric infectious disease specialist at Johns Hopkins Children’s Center, shares guidance for maintaining stability for children and families while ‘sheltering at home’.
• Rethinking Screen-time in the Time of COVID-19
  United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) provides perspective on how families with children may use technology to provide social normalcy during COVID-19.
• Helping Kids Cope with COVID-19
  Anna Long, Ph.D., a licensed psychologist and LSU Psychology Professor offers guidance for parents and caregivers on how to help children cope with COVID-19.

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Eating Well and Keeping Physically Fit

Working on your physical fitness while sheltering at home may seem challenging at first. However, favorable spring weather combined with the many new virtual resources can make upping your physical health both accessible and fun.

Physical wellness can be maintained in a variety of ways, including:

• Eating as healthfully as possible
• Getting a good night’s rest each night
• Utilize local park trails and beaches, while maintaining distance from others
• Making time for exercise
• Keeping a daily routine of walking/jogging/bike riding/roller skating

Resources on tips and ideas for maintaining eating well and staying physically fit:

• Nutritional resources:
  • Food Banks in Louisiana
    A listing of food banks in Louisiana
  • Free Meals for School Aged Children and Adolescents
    Louisiana Department of Education’s map of schools serving free meals to children and adolescents by parish.

• On getting a good night’s rest:
  • Sleepless Nights? Try Stress Relief Techniques
    Johns Hopkins School of Medicine shares techniques to help reduce stress and get a better night’s sleep.

• Staying physically fit:
  • Be Active During COVID-19
  • In this Q&A, the World Health Organization (WHO) shares age-appropriate guidelines and recommendations for safely maintaining physical fitness during the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • Get involved – Louisiana State University Recreation Center
    Both members and non-members have FREE access virtual workout classes and resources on staying physically fit from home during COVID-19.
  • YMCA 360: On-demand Videos
    Anyone can access these FREE virtual workout videos to stay physically fit from home during COVID-19. These video resources include some especially designed for children and older adults.

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Keeping Stress in Check

Keeping stress levels low and maintaining mental stimulation feed into one another and support overall health. Developing a routine – which includes eating and sleeping at regular times, as well as maintaining physical activity – can be particularly helpful. Resources may be available to you through an Employee Assistance Program (EAP). Consider checking with your employer’s Human Resources department to learn if an EAP exists at your organization.

Ways to actively support mental wellness include:

• Practicing stress reduction techniques (e.g., mindfulness, meditation, journaling)
• Get adequate rest each night
• Avoiding drugs and alcohol and reaching out for help, if needed
• Utilizing online therapy, sometimes called ‘teletherapy’
• Sudoku, crossword puzzles, board games, reading, arts and crafts

Mental wellness resources:

• Stress is Gonna Get You if You Don’t Watch Out
  University of Delaware shares both the positive and negative aspects of stress, as well as strategies for coping.
• Sleepless Nights? Try Stress Relief Techniques
  Johns Hopkins School of Medicine shares techniques to help reduce stress and get a better night’s sleep.
• Taking Care of Your Emotional Health
  Stress and Coping
  In ‘Taking Care of Your Emotional Health’, Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) provides suggestions for supporting mental health during crisis and includes signs of distress to watch out for. In ‘Stress and Coping’, the CDC shares more insights into ways people can healthily cope with stress. Groups at high-risk for reacting strongly to stress and simple ways to support their mental and emotional health are also identified.
• Coping with Stress During Infectious Disease Outbreaks
  National Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) describes ‘signs of stress and how to recognize when to get help.’
• A Growing Wave of Online Therapy
  American Psychological Association shares the benefits of teletherapy, who it may be appropriate for, and a comparison of several major teletherapy providers.
• Peer Listener Training Manual
  Through special training in listening skills, anger management, depression and other family problems, peer listeners have a unique opportunity to assist their family and friends with ongoing concerns. A peer listener may merely serve as an available ear or may assist in problem solving or referral to more formal sources of support.
• Peer Listening Training – Part 1 and 2
  In this free, two part video training series, participants will gain a basic understanding of disasters and pandemics as well as their consequences on the communities affected. Participants will also build ‘active listening skills’, enabling them to informally create a safe space to support friends, family members, colleagues. This training also gives insights on how to recognize ‘symptoms of depression, suicide, alcohol/drug abuse, and domestic violence, and how and when to refer someone to a professional should you determine it necessary.’ A training manual, as well as PDFs of the slides used are also available on this website.
• LSU Wellness Education VideO (WEVO) Channel
  This resource page features current and upcoming webinars aimed at supporting wellbeing. The four-part webinar series, Emotional Wisdom, shares skills for effective mood management, which is helpful for students and others alike. Previous sessions are available for viewing as well.

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Substance Abuse Resources

• National Helpline for Individuals and their Families
  National Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration (SAMHSA) ‘is a free, confidential, 24/7, 365-day-a-year treatment referral and information service (in English and Spanish) for individuals and families facing mental and/or substance use disorders.’ 1-800-662-HELP (4357) and TTY 1-800-487-4889.
• Find Help
  National Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration (SAMHSA) has a help finder tool and list of hotline phone numbers for various issues, including substance abuse, mental illness, and distress.

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Hotlines for Help

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Maintaining Spiritual Wellness

Spiritual wellness and practices are an important aspect of whole-person wellness. Even if you do not belong to a particular religion, you may still find spiritual practices helpful.

Examples of spiritual wellness practices can include:

• Attending online religious services and receiving pastoral support remotely
• Meditation and mindfulness practices
• Prayer
• Time for personal reflection
• Journaling
• Spending time in nature

Resources on tips and ideas for maintaining spiritual wellness:

• Spirituality and Your Health
  University of Northern Iowa gives insight into ways to assess and improve spirituality, including tools and resources.
• Seven Ways to Improve Your Spiritual Wellness
  Illinois State University shares ways to increase spiritual wellness.
• Self-help Library
  University of California – Davis provides links to books, websites, and apps devoted to various forms of wellness, including spiritual wellness.

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Staying Connected

Connecting with others is an essential part of the human experience. Even though it is important to practice physical distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic, it is possible to maintain a strong social network. By maintaining your social network, you will be supporting other aspects of your health as well.

Ways you can support your social wellness include but are not limited to:

• Writing letters and emails to friends and family
• Making phone calls to friends and family, especially those who may not have access to the internet
• Participating in video calls with friends and family to enjoy virtual face time together

Resources on tips and ideas for maintaining social wellness:

• Rethinking Screen-time in the Time of COVID-19
  United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) provides perspective on how keeping in touch using technology may provide normalcy during COVID-19.
• How to Balance Children’s Screen Time During the Pandemic
  Teach.com Powered by 2U shares ideas for keeping screentime as productive and educational as possible. Ideas for hands-on activities that give a break from screens are also shared.

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Volunteering

Volunteering can promote personal wellness in multiple ways, including giving a sense of purpose. However, maintaining your own physical health and wellbeing while keeping others safe is paramount. If you choose to volunteer during the COVID-19 pandemic, please be sure to use an abundance of caution and follow the necessary guidelines and protocols as provided by the state government, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as well as your physician.

If you decide you would like to volunteer, you may find opportunities at Volunteer Louisiana, the state service commission for Louisiana.   

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This week’s Staff Pick

Interested in articles that our staff are reading this week related to personal wellness? Check back here each week to find articles from the popular press.

• Toddlers to Teens: How to Help Kids Cope with Stress from COVID-19
  Broken down by age group, a variety of human development professionals and therapists provide insights on how parents can help children cope with stress during the pandemic.

• Coronavirus Panic: How To Get Your Thinking Brain Back Online
  Dr. Judson Brewer, a neuroscientist and psychiatrist at Brown University gives insights into coping with anxiety during the pandemic and how to get your “thinking brain back online.”

• How Not to Tank Your Relationship in Quarantine
  John Tierney (journalist and contributing editor to City Journal) and Dr. Roy F. Baumeister (social psychologist, University of Queensland) share research-based relationship insights and strategies that can maintain positivity in a relationship during the COVID-19 quarantine.

• How Rituals and Focus Can Turn Isolation Into a Time for Growth
  Dr. Arthur Kleinman is a professor in the departments of psychiatry, anthropology and social medicine at Harvard University

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Staff Blog

Here are reflections from staff members on their experiences sheltering at home these past few months. Please stay tuned for staff members experiences transitioning back into the world outside of the home.

• Perspectives on sheltering at home: Part 1 — Kevin’s experience
  No two quarantine experiences look the same and that is okay

• Experiences in sheltering at home and transitioning into the world outside of the home
  Are you continuing to shelter at home or in the process of transition? As Louisiana continues with Phase 2 of the state’s reopening plan, members of Louisiana Sea Grant staff share their experiences and coping strategies