A Conversation With: Stuart Ross, Psychologist

Mar 31, 2020 | Innovation Guelph Blogs & Stories

IG asked Stuart Ross, a private practice psychologist in Guelph, if he had advice for people weathering these uncertain Covid-19 times.

Stuart Ross [I was] Just talking to my daughter about staying resilient. She is out of classes and home from university. She creates a schedule each night for the following day and sticks to her routine. She gets up at the same time each morning and chooses a 15-minute exercise program from the internet such as stretching, yoga, meditation, then follows her schedule for the day. With free time, she socializes over the internet, staying in touch with friends and associates. On the internet, there are ways to engage group meetings which sometimes involve games or even movie watching together with a split screen to be with others. Because of the indefinite nature of things, she plays scenarios of pretending this will last a long time and what it will take to survive if nothing changes. This may include things like learning to use Skype to do all business or pretending she is retired with free time to learn new things.

There are numerous online suggestions for coping through these times. Folks should seek out professional aid when unwanted feelings persist, and friends/peers are of no longer able to assist.

I should end by saying there are so many resources out there online and excellent tips on the above that I feel I am being redundant. Just opened today’s Mercury Tribune and found it packed with ideas such as [this article] by Dr. Tim Rogers (Pg. 6) who has listed many good ideas as well as offering free, peer to peer support for dealing with anxiety and depression.

Stuart Ross, author, psychologist: thatpsychologyguy.ca/