By Paige Zuckerman, Clinical Director
Pandemic, Earthquakes, Wildfires Oh My!
One of the wildest of years is coming to an exhausting close, with slight glimmers of hope on the precipice of 2021. Most of us know by now how strained our mental health and general tolerances have been of late, and resources feel all the more scarce for many.
Access to already limited support has been more complicated during the pandemic, and what is available is often heaving with waitlists.
Turn Scarcity Into Abundance
So what can we do to self-support while we seek professional and personal allies for our mental and behavioral health? How can we shore-up our stability for what will hopefully be a somehow better year to come? Although self-help is a limited resource and is not a substitute for therapy, we can also invest additionally in building our own set of sustainable resources.
Resources at your Disposal
Fortunately, a handful are right here on the site. Navigate to the Library under the Resources tab and you’ll find recommended podcasts, TedTalks, books, and articles by topic.
Furthermore, we’ve recently added our collection of tests, scales, and questionnaires to the library. These can actually be difficult to find on the internet (we’ve looked) and can be insightful brief assessment tools.
Bear in mind – these are not to be used for self-diagnoses (we all know any time you google your stomach ache it comes back as cancer) and are best used as clarification with your therapist or psychiatric med prescriber.
Some are simple enough, like the Beck Depression & Anxiety Inventories. Others will require interpretation with your licensed mental health professional.
No matter what, we can all use a few more tools in the kit as we navigate life this winter and beyond!