Coping During a Crisis

Who knew that canceling everything would be so difficult?

During the COVID-19 pandemic, many people have reported stress, burnout and anxiety. Many people are either working from home or finding themselves out of work, educating children and being isolated from family and friends. It’s a lot to deal with, on top of anxiety regarding the illness itself. Because the pandemic is so new, most evidence is based on anecdotes, although, the Canadian Mental Health Association reports that nearly half of those surveyed reported anxiety, and the percentage feeling isolated jumped from 39 percent to 47 percent from March to April. This collection of resources can help you deal with crisis and anxiety, whether it’s a pandemic that affects the whole world, or an emergency in your household.

Dawn Huebner: A psychologist offering resources for parents and others who work with children during times of stress. Her website includes a 7-part video series, “When Worry Takes Over: Tips and Techniques for Parents and Kids,” as well as the book “Something Bad Happened: A Kid’s Guide to Coping with Events in the News.” www.dawnhuebnerphd.com Insight Timer: Whether you have 2 minutes or 20, you need to relax or wake up, Insight Timer offers 45,000 guided meditations and courses. App available for iPhone and Android. Canadian Crisis Services: Offers suicide prevention and support through talk, text and online chat, plus links to support organizations and other help. Help is available constantly, 24 hours a day, every day. Visit www.crisisservicescanada.ca/en/, call 833-456-4566 24 hours per day. Text “start” to 45645 from 4 p.m. to 12 a.m., Eastern time.

U.S. National Suicide Prevention Lifeline:

Provides free support to those facing a suicidal crisis or emotional distress 24 hours a day, every day, while helping also connecting callers with local resources and services. Visit suicidepreventionlifeline.org, or call 800-273-TALK. Building Psychological Strength Podcast: April Seifert, Ph.D., of Peak Mind Psychology, provides a weekly dose of mental and emotional well-being. Whether you’re seeking help with anxiety, motivation or even professional improvement, this podcast offers it all. Visit www.peakmindpsychology.com/blog

NOTE: The above resources are not meant to substitute professional medical advice.

Study considers link between

blame and happiness

Someone cuts in front of us at the grocery store. The waiter serves the other table first, even though they sat down after you did. A text to a friend goes unacknowledged, and you know they’re not dead in a ditch somewhere because they liked your other friend’s Instagram. These situations can get the best of all of us at times. They may elicit an eyeroll and exasperated exhale. They may result in an explosion of choice words. Or maybe we’re just going to stew until anger turns into resentment. Should you give the other party the benefit of the doubt? It’s easy to say no, but a recent study found that giving people the benefit of the doubt is actually a benefit to ourselves. The direct relationship between happiness and a positive attitude toward others has been established, but scientists had not studied the how happy people process their reactions to negative events. A person who assumes that the other party had the worst intentions toward has a hostile attributional style. Scientists have known that people with hostile attributional styles feel less satisfied in personal relationships, but this new study suggests that they’re also less happy with their lives overall. The study included more than 700 participants in the U.S., Poland and Japan, led by a psychologist from Maria Grzegorzewska University in Warsaw, Poland. The resulting paper was published in The Journal of Happiness Studies. Researchers asked participants to read about negative social scenarios and rate how much blame they placed on the other person and their own level of anger. They were also surveyed about their happiness. Respondents who most often saw others with harmless intent reported themselves to be the happiest, while those who only saw ill will were the least happy. Perhaps this result is predictable, but it also serves as a reminder that giving others the benefit of the doubt can be improved and practiced. Remember that the person at the grocery store may not have realized where the line started. The waiter may not have seen your table first, and the friend may be harried with work and family obligations. The study’s authors suggest cultivating positive social relationships, perhaps by volunteering or joining a new organization. And when your friend ignores your text, the best thing to do is just ask them what’s going on.