We asked Mental Health America of Northeast Indiana staff members the following questions:

What is your biggest challenge in dealing with the outbreak? How are you coping with that challenge?

We got some great answers back, that we hope will give you and your family some ideas about what you can do today to reduce stress, stay well, and overcome your own challenges.

Lacey Holt, Peer Support Coordinator

My biggest challenge has been anxiety due to being stuck at home. So to combat that anxiety, I am taking a short walk each day! The walk is getting longer with more practice.

Carmen Schlatter, Training & Advocacy Manager

My biggest challenges are not getting enough steps and boredom eating. I’m coping with those by trying to keep up my usual routine of tracking my food and having a schedule.  I’m also going to plan in walks with the dog twice a day that I don’t usually have time for because of my work schedule.

Jessica Hanna, Professional Mental Health Trainer

I am challenged by not having a finish line, not knowing what this all means or how to plan for what’s next. I’m not used to sitting so much and miss being able to interact with people in person. I am a creature of habit and routine. Having to adapt to a completely new way of living takes time, patience, and a little trial and error. It is also challenging to not be so hard on ourselves.

To cope with these challenges, I am keeping my routine as close to comfortable as possible.  I get up at the same time, work out, get ready for the day, and designate a particular room in the house for school and work.  I’m trying to laugh more than cry and appreciate how this is slowing us all down. As a family, we are finding ways to be active at least an hour a day. Dancing seems to work the best!

Jennifer Barnes, Professional Trainer

I cope by listing my positives each day. I am a social person, so I try to reach out to someone by phone daily too.

Beckie Browning, Supervising Case Manager at Cedars Hope

I think the biggest challenge for my family and I is the change in our normal routine. My daughter is going to her biological mother’s house to spend extra time which has left our son feeling “abandoned” by his big sister aka partner in crime. My son has autism so any normal shift in routine is difficult. This has been a huge adjustment to his norm which has caused an increase in behavioral issues and meltdowns. We are also not able to visit my mother due to her impaired health which has been very difficult on our whole family.

How are we coping? We have utilized video chat with my mom so we can still see her and check in. Our family has minimized the electronics due to everyone being over stimulated. We have spent more time playing card games, putting together a puzzle, and watching family movies. Today we took a walk in the park with the family dog. For the first time in years the park was packed with people walking, exercising, and playing Frisbee. Seeing everyone outside was helpful. Music has been a big help to cope when feeling stressed. We recently took a drive in the country to count how many animals we could find out in the fields.

Jackie Scott, Parent Cafe Host

Probably because of hardships that I went through in the past, I really haven’t faced any challenges over the past week, but I can share a couple of things that I reflected on these past few days:

Be kind to others: I put a gift card from a local restaurant along with a ‘thank you’ note in an envelope addressed to ‘mail carrier’ and attached it to my mailbox.

Find comfort and humor even in the small things: I saw a recipe for lemon cookies that I wanted to try. I didn’t have any lemons, but I did have some limes, so I gave it a try. When life hands you limes, make cookies!

I’m not making light of what many are going through right now; I’m just saying that we can all use our past experiences to help each other get through this.

Sonia Pacheco, Controller

My biggest challenge has been managing time with my children while trying to work from home.

To cope with that, I have reworked my schedule by working on things that need my full attention while children are sleeping. Then, when they are awake, I can focus on them and just periodically check in on email. I try to maintain normalcy for my children, and so we go out for walks and bike rides around neighborhood, and spend lots of time outdoor, like playing basketball or jumping on the trampoline. We also do video calls with family or drive by to wave hello.

Julie Cameron, Professional Guardian

As a part time fitness professional, I have been fortunate enough to stay in contact with friends who also are committed to wellness and workout in small groups less than 10 and keeping social distancing. As a professional guardian for adults with intellectual disabilities, I am staying in touch by phone and Facetime to let them know I am here for them and letting caregivers know how much they are appreciated.

Karen Pictor, Volunteer Coordinator

During this terrible pandemic, my biggest challenges have been staying mentally and physically active, and worrying about my family and friends. As one who has always worked, “staying at home” in the beginning created a sense of isolation and uselessness. As the days passed, I learned to focus on work duties and related research that I could do from home that would benefit my job when I am able to return to work. I’ve spent time actually speaking to family and friends on the phone vs. texts or messages. I’ve run a couple of errands for one neighbor, and babysat for another. These simple tasks have helped relieve some stress and have provided a feeling of usefulness.  This terrible crisis has made me more aware and appreciative of others and the different roles they play in my life.  For that, and for them, I will be forever grateful.

Heather Miller, Youth and Family Services Manager

My biggest challenge is setting boundaries for my work time. It is very easy to slip into work mode when it is right in front of my face, all the time. A good friend gave me the advice to set an alarm to announce the end of a work day. While I haven’t actually set an alarm, I have made a point to close my computer at the end of the day.

Samantha Drudge, Parent Cafe Host

At this time of crisis, I am choosing to see the positive, even though it isn’t easy. There’s so much news right at your fingertips, but I only have it on twice a day. Otherwise, music helps me stay focused on the task at hand. I ask myself the following questions daily. What am I grateful for today? Who am I checking on or connecting with today? What expectations of “normal” am I letting go of today? How am I getting outside today? How am I moving my body today? What beauty am I either creating, cultivating or inviting in today?

I am an extrovert and find a lot of joy in interaction with others. I connect daily with different friends and family whom are far away. I take walks outside to think about what I am grateful for and it gives me time with our new puppy as we walk the housing addition.

I am staying distracted from the news through e-learning for my kids, meal prep, and my “when I have time” to do list. With my family all together we are making the best of it. It is hard from time to time. I check in with everyone every morning and ask “What is your GOAL for today?” As the day goes on we talk about it and see if myself or my husband can be on assistants or guidance. I have three older teenagers. They don’t need me to crowd them. Just support them as they do what we need to do.

I am also practicing self-care. I have ordered a lot of new books to read, and some fun cross stitch bookmarks to make.

Keyanna Parker, Parent Cafe Coordinator

My biggest challenge has been not going out to a restaurant.  I love going out to restaurants for dinner and social time.  I’ve been coping by having facetime group chats with my friends at dinner time.

Joseph Blazier, Director of Guardianship Services

I miss the drive time to and from work as it provides me brainstorming/daily review time. I am coping by setting aside a formal time to plan, think, and debate solutions. I take breaks to go outside and walk up and down my country driveway.

Karen Novinger, Professional Trainer

I am definitely a person who likes to get out and go. The restriction of staying at home and not having my normal routine of seeing others has been hard. I have been connecting to as many people as possible through Zoom. Last week I had a coffee date with friends from church, and this week I will be playing Pictionary with my step daughters.

Krista Andrews, Professional Guardian

My biggest challenge during the outbreak is learning new computer technology to assure that guardianship clients are safe and healthy. I also miss the daily office chitter chatter! I cope with these challenges by continuing to reach out to my director and co-workers for help and suggestions. It also satisfies my longing for the office chitter chatter!