Resiliency Coping with COVID-19

Times are tough for everyone right now. Most of us have had our routines disrupted. So, we're feeling worried about how we'll cope with changes in our daily lives. And we're anxious about the future and its uncertainties.So, it's important to boost our ability to self-regulate. Self-regulation helps us control our bodies' stress response and improve our mental and physical health. And once we're calmer, we can think more clearly and put things into perspective. This helps us get calmer, too.

Tips to help you cope with COVID-19

1. Download and print RIRO's 3Rs to relieve stress and bounce back. You'll find tips to help calm your body and mind, reduce anxious thinking and respond with resilience. You can help others, too - please share this tip sheet!
2. Practice your self-regulation skills
   • Use deep breathing whenever you’re feeling stressed. Inhale slowly to the count of 3. Exhale slowly to the count of 3. Repeat 3 times or until you’re feeling calmer.  
   • Practice “mindful breathing” each day to reduce your overall stress load. Just get comfortable and concentrate on your breathing for 2 minutes to start and increase gradually over time. When your mind wanders, just note it, then re-focus on your breathing.  Learn more
   • Use Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT or “Tapping”) to reduce anxiety, strong feelings and increase a sense of safety and well-being. EFT combines a cognitive behavioral approach with acupressure. Learn how to tap and access free meditations to deal with Covid-related anxiety and fears as well as other stress.
3. Practice self-regulation skills with kids
   • Practice “Breathing Buddies” (or Belly Breathing) with kids. Do this daily before sleep times, after playtime or simply to relax together. It’s easy. Just lay down together. You each place a toy on your belly. Then watch the toys rise up and down as you breathe slowly and say, “IN-1-2-3.OUT-1-2-3.” This helps children learn to relax and focus. Here’s a cute 1-minute video of Izzy and her dad showing us how they do it.   
   • Check out these two books with mindfulness activities for children: “Breathe like a Bear” (for younger children) and the “Ultimate Mindfulness Activity Book” (for kids and teens).
   • This book for kids helps them start EFT-Tapping, too.
4. Want some help explaining COVID-19 to kids and dealing with their anxiety? This excellent article has lots of resources for supporting children’s emotional well-being (and yours, too).  Read article
5. HAVE SOME FUN! Play music, sing, dance, read, play games, do arts and crafts. Be silly, laugh and smile. They help reduce our stress, build togetherness and increase our happiness. Click links for children’s booklists and children’s musical stories & sing-a-longs
6. Check out our 2 websites for more tips on weathering this storm.  Service providers | Parents 
7. Please REMEMBER! Washing hands is now more important than ever for everyone.  The good news - COVID-19 doesn’t like soap! Rubbing vigorously with lots of soap for 20 seconds removes the viruses’ outer fatty coating. And that breaks up the viruses so they can’t infect you. It’s better than hand sanitizer. (Tip: 20 sec. = Singing “Happy Birthday” twice)

Our hope is that we’ll come through these stressful times with a greater sense of confidence, community and caring for the earth’s many inhabitants.



Here are some fantastic websites with great ideas to help develop resiliency in children.

RIRO- Reaching In, Reaching Out

10 phrases to calm and anxious child