For those of us fortunate enough to have work during the COVID-19 pandemic, we must balance gratitude with uncertainty. We are living through history in the making, and the massive sudden pivot to working from home can be overwhelming, particularly for those without prior remote experience.  

Everyone's transition to a remote work schedule will be different. For those who already work from home, the change will be more or less seamless. However, for many, this transition has been abrupt and mind-boggling. Work-life balance has become more daunting than ever before, as it all takes place from your home. Each of us will have a unique challenge to navigate. For a working couple that lives in a studio apartment, for example, it will be more complicated than for those whose space provides more privacy.  
 
There are so many considerations when it comes to navigating all of this "in place." Marriage and family therapists (MFTs) lead from the premise that nothing happens in a vacuum. All of life's demands still exist as you work from home. We are all coping with pre-existing stress on top of the uncertainty that comes with a pandemic. High anxiety about job security is a factor that keeps many of us from setting clear boundaries between our work and personal life. The geographical line vanished overnight, and most of us are scrambling and overextending ourselves to keep from engaging in catastrophic thinking. 
 
As MFTs, we know that setting and maintaining clear boundaries are vital to protecting our mental health. In our field, we talk about boundaries as enmeshed, rigid, or clear, and transparency is the goal. Think of them as your safe zone. Boundaries are about asserting your emotional need for protection. They are not about asking for permission but instead are about letting others know what you can handle. And, as we shelter, work, and play in place, your limits will be challenged. It is okay to be precise about what you can and cannot handle. Others are unable to adjust their expectations and behaviors if they are uncertain about what you need. 
 
Here are some tips for setting boundaries while working remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic: 
 
Hold Yourself Accountable: Setting clear boundaries is up to you. You are responsible for your own needs. It is not always easy to assert your needs, and even more so if you are worried and anxious about job security. However, you are doing yourself and others a disservice by ignoring your needs. Now is the time to use your oxygen mask first, and by doing so, you will be more available to those around you, even from a distance. 
 
Communicate Clearly: Take advantage of the technologies available to you at this time. With so many ways to communicate, we need to make sure we are setting reasonable expectations with our co-workers and clients. It is okay to let your boss know that you are overwhelmed. We all are!  
 
Set Your Hours and Maintain a Routine: When possible, manage your time as you would when going to the office. For mental health professionals, like MFTs, this means keeping a similar schedule to the one you do in the absence of the current pandemic. For other professionals, try to mirror the schedule you kept before the quarantine. And if space allows, create a designated area to work in your home. 
 
Protect You Space: Having work overtake your home can feel bad—not because you don't like what you do but because it infringes on what usually is your personal space. Be sure to keep some part of your day sacrosanct for your own time. 
 
Take Breaks:  Just as you would do pre-pandemic, permit yourself to take breaks during the workday. Pushing yourself to be "on" all the time will only lead to additional exhaustion. Take time to eat, hydrate, and stretch. 
 
Be Kind to Yourself and Set Reasonable Expectations: Lead from kindness; no one has done this before. It is a new time, and the rules are unclear. No one expects you to be perfect. Do what you can and let yourself rest when you need to. Keep your expectations of yourself and others within reason. We are all adjusting! 
 
These are trying times for all of us. If you need additional support during the COVID-19 pandemic, please reach out to a mental health professional in your area. Telehealth services are available across the US and Canda. You can find support through the following sources: via the AAMFT therapist locator (AAMFT Therapist Locator),PsychologyToday(www.psychologytoday.com),GoodTherapy(www.goodtherapy.com).

By now, most, if not all, of us are practicing social distancing until further notice. For those with kids, they are homeschooling while trying to balance remote work schedules. For others that may be alone or have no kids or family nearby, or have been temporarily laid off of work, this time is especially challenging.
 
We must all do our part to help reduce the spread of COVID-19. Social distancing functions as a means of harm reduction by allowing time for tests and vaccine production. It is vital and requires effort. The timeframe on this remains unknown, and long periods of loneliness and worry can increase stress, anxiety, and depression. 
 
Social distancing, while crucial, asks us to suppress our evolutionary hard-wiring for connection. Nicholas Christakis, a social scientist and a public health specialist at Yale University, told Science. "Pandemics are an especially demanding test…because we are not just trying to protect people we know, but also people we do not know or even, possibly, care about." (bigthink.com) And yet social distancing will be a way of life for several weeks, if not longer. It is a test of enormous proportions, and we all need to help each other as much as possible from a distance.
 
Breathe…we can do this! Before hitting the panic button, try to think of the opportunities that still exist at this time for creativity, care (self and others), and compassion. We are fortunate to have more ways to reach people remotely than at any other time in history. We have tablets, laptops, and phones that function as mini-computers. We can use these platforms to support people outside of our social restriction circle. 
 
A helpful way to reframe social distancing may be to focus on social solidarity. It is a chance to reflect and expand our circle of moral concern. We are in a time of transformation, shifting away from an I-centric approach to one of collective effort and care. We are all in this together, and maintaining our emotional well-being matters. 
 
For Marriage and family therapists, social distancing is part of a systemic response to managing the spread of COVID-19. The discordant nature of it is such that we are helping the more extensive system, our community at large, by intentionally conducting life via isolation. But to repeat…we can do this! 
 
Here are some survival tips for managing life during this time: 

• Don't Panic: With so many sources of media, it can be hard to weed out unfoundedly pessimistic news. To fend off panic, one must prioritize reason and realism. One way to do this is to make sure you are obtaining information from reputable sources. Some good sites for this include the CDC's coronavirus page, your local health department's website, and the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security. Other reputable news sources include New York Times Conavirus (free access during the outbreak). Do remember to set limits on how much news you consume each day. It is not helpful to keep checking; in fact, the more you do this, the more likely you are to make snap judgments based on how easily information comes to mind.

 

• Re-create Your Daily Routine: The sudden move to remote working and homeschooling has thrown routines off-kilter. For most of us, this can create additional stress and anxiety. Thankfully, we can retrofit our pre-distancing habits to our new social distancing way of being. If you are working remotely, try to follow a similar routine as you did when going to the office. Get up at your usual time, engage in healthy activities of daily living, and carve out a designated space to work. If homeschooling, set up a schedule that resembles what your kids have been doing throughout the school year. You can modify it, however, as you feel fit. For example, you can develop a schedule that incorporates routine and reward. Follow an hour of reading or math with a snack and an educational show. There is no specific right way to do this, but having a routine will make life a bit easier for everyone. 

• Be Altruistic: Research shows a strong correlation between philanthropic activities and improved health and well-being. While social distancing puts limits on our ability to engage in altruistic behavior, it doesn't eliminate it. One can offer to shop for a neighbor or relative that is elderly or has a compromised immune system. Another way to give is financial. If someone in your community is temporarily laid off, you can offer to drop off groceries or send a gift card to help offset some of the burdens he or she is facing. 

• Be Creative: Being socially restricted may provide an opportunity to engage in creativity. With the time at home, you will likely cook more. Find new recipes or have an in-home bake-off. Other creative outlets include – drawing, puzzles, knitting, crocheting, creating writing. You can find anything on YouTube, so don't be afraid to learn something new while you have time to do so. 

 

• Move it! At this time, we can still go outside for a walk and get fresh air. Take time every day to go for a walk or jog (if preferred) while maintaining a safe distance from others who may be doing the same. Getting fresh air and moving our bodies is one of the best things we can do at any time, and now more than ever. 

 

• Choose to Remain Positive: Social distancing will have taxing moments. Human nature leans into the negative with ease, so staying positive will take some effort. Marriage and family therapists often talk about the positive to negative ratio or “magic ratio” is 5 to 1. This means that for every negative interaction during conflict, a stable and happy marriage has five (or more) positive interactions (gottman.com).

​During this time of social distancing, you will have ups and downs, and that is okay. Make room for the trying moments, and remember they are just that – a moment, not forever. Maintaining an attitude of optimism is more beneficial to your well-being than dwelling on negativity. Try to choose a healthy mindset day by day, and remember you’ve got this!

Managing fear and anxiety at any time is challenging. No one likes uncertainty, and with so many avenues to information, basic levels of stress can skyrocket. Remember that human beings are survivors. Anxiety is activated by the primal part of our brain, signaling us to fight, flight, or freeze. It intends to aid survival, and yet, as it sometimes functions, it leaves us feeling paralyzed, panicked, and riddled with fear. Remember that this is normal, and everyone will feel some level of anxiety and fear right now.
 
Given the seriousness with which we are receiving information about COVID-19 pandemic, it is normal to feel anxious. Facing concerns of the developing covid-19 pandemic, marriage and family therapists, as well as other mental health experts, want to remind those with exacerbated anxiety, fear and depression symptoms some ways to manage their symptoms during this time of uncertainty.

• Honor Your Feelings: You will have anxious thoughts. Hold space for these thoughts as not to avoid, ignore, or suppress them. Give yourself permission to have anxiety as an appropriate response to uncertainty. Manage things in smaller increments of time, reminding yourself what you can and are unable do from minute to minute. This can help keep things in perspective. 

 

• Self-Care Matters: Engaging in self-care is critical right now. A short list of self-care items includes: sleep, balanced nutrition, exercise, hydration, as well as protecting and conserving our emotional energy. When our personal energy drains our ability to keep things in perspective becomes increasingly distorted. 

 

• Maintain Social Support: Stay in touch with your social support system via text, phone, FaceTime, Skype—whatever is available to you. Pay attention to your sleep and nutrition needs. It can be hard to sleep well when we are a bundle of worries. Try to maintain a healthy routine including the things you typically do to support your physical and emotional wellness. And use caution by following current health and safety protocol while doing them.

 

• Check on Others: Helping others when we are worried can be a welcome distraction, as well as an action item to ease anxious feelings. Take time to check in on anyone in your family, friend, or community group that is living alone, or may need additional support during this time.

 

• Consume a Healthy Media Diet: Just as you need to pay attention to sleep, nutrition, hydration as ways to manage your health, you must choose a healthy media diet. Seek information from reliable news sources only. Set healthy boundaries for checking in on the latest news to short, defined periods, and refrain from setting related push notifications on your device. In fact, it serves your interest to turn these notifications off. Appropriate information consumption can reduce anxiety and fear, or at the very least, give you a break from ruminating on the current covid-19 climate. Here are some better-established sources when you do turn to the media coverage:

             Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center
             New York Time Coronavirus
​

• Live Reasonably, Do What you Can: Take the recommended precautions as outlined by Centers For Disease Control & Prevention (COVID-19) and other credible health agencies (see links above). Remain focused on the factors within your control, such as washing hands, covering your mouth during coughs and sneezes, avoiding non-essential travel, and practicing social distancing. 

• Reach Out to a Mental Health Professional:  MFTs and other mental health professionals are still keeping up with their clients. Many have moved to virtual platforms that offer telehealth to clients. If you’re noticing that your symptoms of anxiety (in association with COVID-19 or otherwise) are causing you significant distress or are interfering with your ability to function normally, reach out for formal mental health supports. You can find support through the following sources: via the AAMFT therapist locator(AAMFT Therapist Locator) , psychology today(www.psychologytoday.com), and good therapy(www.goodtherapy.com) 

These are challenging times, and now more than ever, we need to work together in supportive and compassionate ways. From some of the most difficult moments come opportunities to grow. This is a time to redefine our communities in ways that will allow us to feel more connected, despite temporary social distancing.