Times like this are good times to reach out for help. You can access your Team Health Clinic, personal healthcare provider, or your Employee Assistance Program. In addition, here are some traditional and non-traditional resources. You can also download a printable version of these resources.

AACN Peer Support Community is a place where AACN members can engage with their peers, share their experiences, support each other and get advice from peers who share valuable insights on topics such as PTSD, moral distress, self care, resilience and burnout.

Virtual Peer Support Groups | Zoom meetings every Tuesday from 5:30-6:30 PM EDT

The Physician Support Line is a national, free and confidential support line service made up of volunteer psychiatrists who provide peer support for physicians. No appointment is necessary, and the line is open seven days a week from 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 a.m. EDT. Call the national support line at 1-888-409-0141 or learn more about this resource here.

Hope4Healers is a free service that provides counseling to all health care workers, childcare workers and first responders. The service also provides counseling to the families of these essential workers. Licensed mental health professionals provide the counseling on a confidential basis and work with clients to identify solutions to the problems they face and competently manage the stress they are dealing with.

A simple check-in with colleagues can also help reduce stress and remind us that we are not going through this alone. PeerRxMed is a peer-to-peer program for physicians and other health care workers that provides support, connection, resources and more to help combat burnout. The program is designed to help health care workers address and prevent burnout by using a buddy system. Health care workers choose a buddy to go through the program with and PeerRx provides prompts and guidance for weekly, monthly and quarterly check-ins.

The Center for Mindful Self-Compassion (don’t let the name put you off! They have a whole list of good resources!) has online resources assembled specifically for health-care workers including live and recorded meditations, group and individual coaching and therapy, inspirational videos and poetry, and instructional classes and courses. Many resources are free during this crisis, and some are fee-based. All are focused on strengthening your resiliency and keeping you healthy.

Talk space: Online counseling and support groups with discounts for frontline COVID healthcare providers.

The Stress Free UC Study found that Headspace, used daily for just 10 minutes, reduced stress in a meaningful way and the benefits lasted for two months after stopping use. Headspace can be done in the morning or evening, alone or with family, or anytime you need to take a break.

Please consider trying one of the apps below:

Meditation and relaxation

• Headspace: Two-week free trial for the general public. (Providers with a National Provider Identifier can sign up for free full access)
• Calm: Seven-day free trial. A meditation, sleep, and relaxation app that also provides resources specifically for coping with COVID-19 anxiety.
• Stop, Breathe & Think: Always free, and for kids too.
• Insight Timer: Always free. This is not a daily app, but rather a great library where you can search for various types of meditations and lengths by excellent teachers.
• 10% Happier: Free and paid options available. Health care providers can use redemption code HEALTHCARE to unlock all content.
• UCLA Mindful App: Free and has meditation by Diana Winston.
• Mental Health Apps: Connect with publicly-funded, evidence-informed resources for mental health.

Coping with stress and anxiety

• Sanvello: Clinically validated techniques for reducing stress and treating anxiety and depression. (Free premium access during COVID-19 pandemic)
• Happify: Some free content, including stress reduction and cognitive techniques to address anxiety.
• MindShift CBT: Free content, including cognitive behavioral therapy strategies to address general worry, social anxiety and panic.
• COVID Coach: Created for everyone, including veterans and service members, to support self-care and overall mental health during the coronavirus pandemic.

Insomnia

• CBT-i Coach: Free cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia, available for iOS and Android.