Are you struggling to cope while being cooped up with your loved ones during a pandemic winter?
Lincoln Park Therapy Group Founder Nicolle Osequeda is featured in this article for The Active Times sharing some simple ways to deal with the challenges of spending extended time at home with loved ones during the pandemic this winter. The cold Chicago weather can make it challenging to set boundaries during a normal year – it’s only harder now that we have the pandemic to cope with as well.
In COVID and Mental Health: Therapists’ Tips to Create Healthy Boundaries at Home, Nicolle and other mental health experts discuss the difficulties people are facing this winter during this unprecedented time and offer some helpful advice to preserve your relationships over the next few months. In the article, Nicolle and others recommend the following tips:
- understand struggles are normal right now
- take care of yourself first
- adjust your self-care to the indoors
- do some self-exploration
- talk it out
- collaborate with each other
- ask for alone time
- don’t judge others for how they spend their downtime
- find space wherever you can
- create separation in other ways
- alter your environment
- get outside
- establish norms around work and personal time
- decide on rules for shared spaces
- be clear about safety expectations
- share concerns regarding coronavirus safety
- get to the root of your safety frustrations
- practice generous assumptions
- find time to touch base with each other
- cool down before confrontation
- discuss what kind of accountability you want
- clarify a hierarchy
- don’t put pressure on yourself to be someone’s sole support system
- talk to a therapist
To read the full article, COVID and Mental Health: Therapists’ Tips to Create Healthy Boundaries at Home, click here.
At Lincoln Park Therapy Group, we understand how challenging these next few months will be, especially due to COVID. If you find yourself struggling more than usual, or if you think you need some extra support to help your relationship, it might be helpful to talk to someone about it. Schedule a time to come in and talk with one of our therapists – we’d love to meet you.
Nicolle Osequeda, LMFT, is the founder of Lincoln Park Therapy Group, specializing in anxiety, depression, and relationship counseling in Chicago. As a Certified Daring Way™ Facilitator, she incorporates Dr. Brené Brown’s research into her therapy. Nicolle holds a Master’s in Counseling Psychology from the University of San Francisco and is a Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist in Illinois and California. She is a Clinical Fellow of AAMFT, a member of IAMFT, and the Financial Therapy Association. Nicolle has Gottman Method training and has taught at DePaul University, dedicated to helping individuals and couples achieve meaningful change. 
