The COVID-19 pandemic and resulting shelter in place that has been going on for the past 4-5 months in the United States has been incredibly stressful for many of us.

• Those of us lucky enough to work from home experience challenges in the overlap of home life and work life.
• Parents were tasked with teaching their kids at home for the last 3 months of the school year, then facing ever changing options for the upcoming academic year.
• People out of work due to a shrinking economy are experiencing extreme economic stress.
• Essential workers who have to venture out daily to make a living face daily decisions that can be stressful.

I’ve been writing and speaking about self-care for over 20 years, since I was a graduate student in psychology. As an association executive, I’ve been interviewed on self-care for association executives. 

In light of the extra stress that we are facing as a society during the coronavirus age, I’ve been sharing resources about self-care to the association industry. ASAE published an article listing 8 strategies for self-care during this time. I gave a presentation to CalSAE on self-care for association staff in May 2020.

With my own team at the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists, I’ve been posting videos daily to keep the team motivated and connected. Many of my messages have been about self-care strategies. My first message to staff on March 16, the first full day of remote optional work, I spoke about giving ourselves compassion during the transition to remote work.

I hope you can remember to give yourself compassion and self-care during this stressful time. One of my favorite artists, WRDSMTH, describes self-care well in the following street art piece.

By WRDSMTH in Chicago, IL.