Once a month, we like to go out into our community and speak with experts of other fields in order to get their perspective on current events at hand. During this time of social distancing, stay at home orders, and the pure unknown of the COVID-19 and its long-term effects on our personal and business lives, we want to emphasize the importance of not only your physical health, but your mental health as well. So, Team Wren reached out to some of the top mental health professionals in our area, and here are their top tips for maintaining mental well-being during this unprecedented time:

Dr. William Halbleib, Ph.D, Ph.D

• “Cut down on how often you engage with venues where fear feeds on itself. Limit conversations with friends and coworkers who do more speculating and catastrophizing, than sharing facts. Have an attitude that looks for the positive and tries to be optimistic.” 

Dr. Sharum, Ph.D, LMHC, NCC

• “I practice being grateful for what I have, and not focusing on what I don’t have or have lost at this time. I also walk/bike ride every day; on the beach as often as I can.” 

Dr. Sarah Brothers, M.A., Ed.D

• “I like to take walks early in the morning and have mindfulness moments. I feel a connection to God during my walks. There are other things that I do to pass the time – I have been trying out new recipes, I love reading and putting together jigsaw puzzles, I draw and I paint, I am also teaching myself on the guitar, and I enjoy singing as well. I literally balance all of those things by scheduling each activity so that I don’t get bored.” 

Dr. Jessica Conroy, PhD, LMHC, MCAP

• “My biggest suggestion is to try to regain stability at home through balance of fun family time, quality conversations, and half-time for reflection. It is difficult to deal with all of the disruptions in schedules and lifestyles, but finding ways to refocus it all can help.” 

Kristin Woodling, Counselor, MA, LMHC, CMFT

• “My top tip would be to give yourself permission to slow down. There’s a lot of change and adjustments to our normal routine which causes stress, anxiety and sometimes depression. It’s okay not to be working at the same pace you always do. You might only get one or two tasks done today and that can still be considered a successful and productive day. Just keep moving forward is the key – one foot in front of the other right now.”

The physical health of our team, clients, business partners, and community is so important to us all, and is being emphasized in every media outlet possible. Although your physical health is of great importance to us, your mental well-being is also valued. We hope that these helpful tips from experts in the field help us all establish healthy patterns to promote both our physical and our mental well-being. BIG shoutout to the mental health professionals that took time out of their schedules to help us out with this article - giving your expertise to the community is so helpful, and much appreciated!