Kathleen M. Pike, PhD

Stress and Coping

It is cold and windy in New York. We even saw a few snow flurries today. COVID-19 cases are surging in the world. Right now, a new case is being reported every second. In the past twenty-four hours, I have received 56 emails and 31 texts about the election. We stopped counting all the calls to our house phone that we never pick up.

The world feels a bit off kilter. I am weary. With every new Zoom call, I understand from friends, colleagues and loved ones that I am not alone. What can we do to protect our mental health when stress threatens to drain our coping and resilience capacities and throw us off balance? Because we are all a bit fatigued, I am going to keep it brief. You can click on each highlighted link to read more from a past Five on Friday.

1. Practice Kindness.

2. Play More.

3. Laugh Out Loud.

4. Take A Walk in the Park.

5. Cultivate Hope.

These are just five ideas to get you thinking. The list is long and varied when it comes to effective strategies for managing stress. The key is to know what works for you and make self-care a priority. If you have a little positive energy leftover, share it with someone else. And if you don’t, that’s okay, too. 

Kathleen M. Pike, PhD

Kathleen M. Pike, PhD

Kathleen M. Pike, PhD is Professor of Psychology and Director of the Global Mental Health WHO Collaborating Centre at Columbia University.

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