This guide is for keeping calm and keeping up your spirits in stressful times. See the "What to Do When Sheltering in Place" tab for things to do with kids, activities for yourself, and help with classes.
Please note: these resources do not replace the expert advice of a qualified healthcare professional. Please consult with a professional healthcare provider when making health-related decisions. If you are experiencing a health emergency, please call 911. For the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, call 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or text COURAGE to 741741.
Need to Talk? Call one of these helplines and see MJC Health Services below.
Stanislaus County Warm Line (209-558-4600): Available to residents in need of peer support, a caring listener, and a connection to someone with shared experiences.
Californians can take advantage of the California Peer-Run Warm Line at 1-855-845-7415. The Peer-Run Warm Line is a non-emergency resource for anyone in California seeking emotional support. It provides assistance via phone and webchat on a nondiscriminatory basis to anyone in need.
The Disaster Distress Helpline is a 24/7, 365-day-a-year, national hotline dedicated to providing immediate crisis counseling for people who are experiencing emotional distress related to any natural or human-caused disaster. This toll-free, multilingual, and confidential crisis support service is available to all residents in the United States and its territories. Stress, anxiety, and other depression-like symptoms are common reactions after a disaster. Call 1-800-985-5990 or text TalkWithUs to 66746 to connect with a trained crisis counselor.
Many publishers are making their coronavirus-related coverage freely available.
How well do mindfulness apps work? Read this article from Harvard Health Blog. The Greater Good Science Center at UC Berkeley says that few mindfulness apps are science-based. UCLA's Mindful Awareness Research Center has a weekly podcast, free programming, and free guided meditations.
Practicing mindfulness is one of the single most powerful things we can do for our wellbeing. Watch this animation by Happify.
Jon Kabat-Zinn, Executive Director of the Center for Mindfulness in Medicine, Health Care, and Society at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, defines mindfulness as “paying attention in a particular way: on purpose, in the present moment, and non-judgmentally.” Mindfulness can help reduce stress, according to research conducted by the American Mindfulness Research Institute.
The acronym RAIN – Recognize, Allow, Investigate, Nurture – guides us in bringing mindfulness and compassion to difficult emotions. With practice, we can find our way home to open-hearted presence in the midst of whatever arises. For more information and resources on the practice of RAIN, visit: https://www.tarabrach.com/rain/