As the pandemic and its effects change shape through the days, the need for self-care and maintaining wellbeing is paramount. Here are a few resources that offer tips on maintaining mental health, to destress or, in some cases, take steps to protect ourselves in challenging circumstances. Some resources are specifically for queer people and service providers, while others are general.
Note: This page was last updated in 2022. Some of these links, events or services offered may no longer available or functional. We continue to list them for their archival value and request people to contact relevant organisations for more information.
| Content | Description | Type | Audience | Created / developed by |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Emotional First Aid Materials | A series of videos and other resources for service providers to work through humanitarian crises with their community members. | Videos | Service Providers | Association for Comprehensive Energy Psychology |
| COVID-19 and Mental Health | This is a collection of webinars and videos hosted and curated by the Swan Foundation, on mental health issues during the COVID crisis. | Videos | General | White Swan Foundation |
| Locked Down in the Time of COVID-19: Safety and Self-Care for Queer and Trans Persons | This is a compilation of tips and resources to address the issues faced by queer and trans people stuck in abusive households, or feeling a sense of isolation, to ensure their safety and well-being. | Tips and tools + resources | LGBTQ+ | Compiled by Orinam with other organisations |
| Women’s Mental Health in the Times of Coronavirus | This resource focuses on women’s mental health, with special focus on women who have recently given birth, women who have children with disabilities, and women in abusive situations at home. | Resources | Parents | Thea Care |
| Mental Health In The Times of COVID-19 Pandemic | This is a report which provides “guidance for non-psychiatric medical professionals to address the immediate mental health needs of persons in the community and COVID-19 treatment centres” and “recommendations for psychiatrists to ensure safety during their day to day practice, given the unprecedented infectious disease outbreak.” | Resources | General | NIMHANS |
| Psychosocial Well-Being of Migrants in Shelters | This is a handbook intended to guide volunteers who are engaged in servicing migrant labourers displaced due to the lockdown and housed in temporary shelters, to better understand the migrant labourers’ circumstances and distress. | Resources | General | Mariwala Health Initiative |
| COVID-19 and Mental Health: A Resource Guide | A resource guide that discusses the impact of COVID-19 on mental health, lists methods of identifying and dealing with stress and anxiety, and concludes with types of self-care and mindfulness/grounding exercises to enhance mental well-being. | Resources | General | Mariwala Health Initiative |
| The Relevance of Resilience During | This article talks about emotional preparedness during disasters, and how “building resilience skills, especially among young people. | Resources | General | India Development Review |
| Mental Health and COVID-19 in India | This article talks about the impact of COVID-19 on mental health in India and how state bodies have to recognize the serious situation that existed even before the pandemic. | Resources | General | India Development Review |
| Essential Self-Care Habits To Follow During COVID | This article lists seven important self-care activities that can be practiced to support one’s mental health as we navigate through these challenging times. | Resources | General | The Tapping Solution |
| Feeling Calm in the Midst of the Coronavirus Pandemic Might Be a Trauma Response | The author explores why, for some people, the brain feels calm in high-stress situations like the pandemic, and emphasises on anticipating self-care strategies to aid in times of crisis. | Resources | General | The Mighty |
| How To Be Happier While Working From Home | This article lists a number of self-care ideas that can be practiced to keep oneself happier while working from home. | Resources | General | BBC |
| Returning To The Workplace: Are We Ready For A Pre-Covid Model Again? | This article talks about the global paradigm shift in the workplace experienced as a direct result of the COVID-19 pandemic and makes recommendations to ensure a smooth transition to a pre-Covid work model. | Resources | General | Feminism In India |
| ‘Survivors’ Guilt’ Is Hitting Covid19 Survivors In India, Complicating Their Grieving | This article explores the complicated emotions of experiencing ‘survivors’ guilt’ in the middle of a pandemic and how it can affect the overall wellbeing of an individual. | Resources | General | The Swaddle |
| Well-Being in COVID-19 | The COVID-19 well-being centre offers community support, free telephone counselling and self-management resources for any individual who has been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. | Resources | General | Sangath |
| Grief Is Another Word For Love | This article is the author’s account of experiencing grief in private and public, expressing solidarities with those marginalized like herself, while resisting oppression in times of, because of, and despite COVID-19. | Resources | General | Guernica Magazine |
| How are Indians coping with the ongoing pandemic of burnout? | This article looks at how the pandemic led to a shift in workspace and how that shift has had an impact on the mental health of employees. | Resources | General | Mint Lounge |
| Coping with loss, grief and anxiety, how the second wave of COVID-19 is affecting the mental health of women | This article takes a look at how the feelings of grief, loss and anxiety brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic has affected women’s mental health. | Resources | General | Your Story |
| Well-being @ Work | This report is a small mapping of approaches and ideas to enhance team wellness and connection making in the context of COVID-19-related stress and modalities of working. | Resources | General | The YP Foundation |
| Stories From a Pandemic | This podcast is a series of conversations with 40 youth from across India, on their experiences of coping with loss and grief through the pandemic. It has been produced by a team of young researchers, mental health specialists and artists for a youth-focussed initiative ‘Its Ok To Talk’ by Sangath, a Goa-based NGO. | Podcast | General | Its Ok To Talk |
| Simone Biles, and the pandemic, have taught us the value of pausing | This article reflects on how Simone Biles withdrawing from the Tokyo Okympics and the impact of the pandemic have taught us the lesson of slowing down for our mental and physical well-being. | Resources | General | The Economic Times |
| The Pandemic Has Changed Intimacy For Good | This article attempts to look at how the pandemic has changed people’s ideas of intimacy at a time when the whole world is experiencing chronic loneliness. | Resources | General | The Swaddle |