With all the panic and uncertainty spreading around the world this week, it's normal to feel overwhelmed. It’s normal to feel numb. It’s normal to feel however you are feeling. While life is disrupted for a bit, here are some things you can do to help feel more normal day to day:

Maintain routines as much as possible.

If your daily rituals include making a good cup of coffee, doing a meditation, a skincare routine, or limiting screen time, don’t stop doing those things! Keeping these practices in place helps to feel more grounded and like things haven’t changed all that much. Keep to your regular sleep schedule, eat well, and take your medication.

Acknowledge and normalize your feelings, but don’t live in them all the time.

Letting go of an anxiety thought is different than ignoring feelings completely. It’s also different than engaging in an emotional spiral. Fear and anxiety can take control if we try to ignore when they’re happening. Check in with yourself frequently to better understand your state of mind.

Stay connected.

Call friends and family. Even if you have to limit your face-to-face contact, social connections will help reduce feeling isolated. Social distancing is not the same as emotional distancing.

Check in with your therapist regarding options. Many, like Alexandria Art Therapy, are providing virtual sessions to maintain support.

Prioritize your recovery.

Relapse triggers are likely to come up more often when you’re stressed or alone. It’s tempting to stay in and go back to old habits – who will know? Remember how hard you worked to feel confident in your recovery.

Do something creatively fulfilling.

Make some art. Read. Pull out that old guitar and see if you remember how to play Stairway to Heaven.

Move your body.

Going to the gym might be risky, but spring weather is on the way, and a walk is always good for your body. If you must stay inside, YouTube is a great resource for free workout videos.

Ask for help when you need it.

It can be hard to reach out when you’re struggling, but there is nothing wrong with asking for your needs to be met. There are resources available, and you are not alone.

Organize something.

Are you stuck inside, but still feel well enough to do something productive? Now is a great time to sort through that junk drawer you always intended to clean out. You don't have to overhaul your entire house, but a small project here and there to keep you occupied can be useful.

Support small businesses where you can.

Walmart, Target, Costco, and Amazon will survive. Your small local bookstore is worried, as is the family-run restaurant down the street. If you can't visit in person, buy a gift card to use at a later time, or check to see if they're offering deals on shipping (many are!). Buy what you need – creating more clutter around you can add to anxiety, so keep it simple with the essentials.

Do a small gratitude ritual.

It might feel hard to feel grateful right now, but life will not feel so chaotic forever. Right now, we have to think of ourselves together. Not our own immediate needs, but the needs of our communities as a whole. We are all depending on each other, even when we’re getting on each other’s nerves. In the words of Brene Brown, “try to be scared without being scary.”

We are all imperfect humans trying our best, and together, recognizing our connections, we can be better together.