Coping with COVID-19: 6 Tips for Maintaining Your Mental Health When You're Sick

It's normal to feel anxiety, worry, and grief when you're diagnosed with any medical condition – and that's certainly true if you test positive for or are assumed to be positive for COVID-19. If your symptoms are not severe and you can recover at home, this will include isolation at home until it is safe for you to be close to others without potentially spreading the infection. Isolation protects others from getting sick – but to the sick person, it may seem like something more on top of an already stressful situation.

"Stress negatively affects your body, so it's important to keep your mental health in check as you rest and try to physically recover," says psychiatrist Amit Anand, MD. Here are some ways to prevent anxiety and sadness from creeping in as you recover from COVID-19: Focus on what you can know and control You may not know how you got infected or how long it will take to recover. Instead of focusing your energies on regrets or regrets, double down on what you can do. Your job now is to take care of yourself, heal, and not infect others. Activate your support network Ask loved ones to check in with you regularly by phone, email or video chat.

Talk to them about how you're feeling. If you are worried about caring for children, pets, or household chores while sick, identify family members, friends, or members of your community who are not part of a high-risk population and who can help you. Eat well, stay hydrated + meditate When your appetite allows, feed your body with nutritious food (above comfort foods) and stay hydrated. If possible, take deep breaths, meditate, or stretch to relax your body.