I want to share with you some things that have helped me and some others during this time. We're all in different boats but I'm certain something or another will help, please read with an open mind. All we can ask for are little wins and all we have to rely on is God and our own will.:
1.) Get off of social media, mainly FB. I was mentally and emotionally drained from the constant lashing of horrendous news. Getting off of social media was the thing I truly needed to "reboot" my mental health. If you're feeling anxious, sad, nervous and uncertain take time to unplug and exist in ONLY your reality. Remove the influence of others and just rebuild the pieces without the overstimulation.
2.) Set up a nightly spiritual ritual (wird-something constant and repetitive, no matter how small). Not gonna lie, times I slipped and fell off but meeting a bare minimum baseline is necessary. We often say we need to "clear our minds" but we neglect to clear our hearts. Let this be the cyclical washing that slowly flushes away the grime that's been weighing you down spiritually.
3.) Stop impulse buying. Start impulse giving. I'm truly disgusted at the extent that Amazon has been able to profit off of such a horrible time while small businesses literally are closing and nonprofits are barely scraping buy. We really need to reset, many of us entered into a scarcity mindset while simultaneously overspending to cope with our stress. Our stress will convince us to do things that don't make sense. There are many in need and imagine those who were previously in need and how much they're suffering right now. The spike in homelessness, food insecurity, and suicidal/mental health crises is one that really needs our focus. So please remember that "indeed, charity does not decrease wealth." Whether you call it sadaqa or tithing, give. One thing to do is just choose a trusted organization, then post on your social media "hey friends, I'm collecting for this org for one week, here's my venmo/zelle/etc." And post reminders and let people give (they will) and then donate it all on their behalf. It's easy crowdsourcing. But I recommend you choose the crisis type causes because they're the ones that are on the time crunch and have literal lives in the mix. I love our artsy and educational causes, but during this time, I will not be donating to any of them, my money will go to the orphaned, widowed, sick, and hungry.
4.) Give yourself time, space and permission to grieve if you need it. For those who lost loved ones quickly and without being able to see them, I hope you've set up space for healing. Please don't suffer alone. If your grief is not related to losing a person but anything else, have that time to reflect on it, write it out, cry it out and move forward.
5.) If you're out of crisis mode, I really really really advise that you take a deep breath and start assessing your financial needs. If anything, this crisis was a blowtorch to both the financially unprepared and the financially underprivileged. It was a very big reminder that your financial stability is a joke to the government and corporate America. Everyone's situation is different but assess what your most BASIC needs are, set a timeline where you cut out any extras and put away as much money as possible for rainier days (aka an emergency fund). Do not be shy to accept assistance (food boxes, winter prep, etc) if it makes your financial burden lower and easier to build that emergency fund. If you are in a good place financially, then be a blessing to others. I have literally watched people go without money to pay their rent or groceries. They are out there, help them. Again, this is all assuming that you have a little to put away, since there are people literally not able to keep their lights on.
6.) Don't turn into a crap human being lacking morals, etiquette, adab or whatever makes a person tolerable to be around. You can assess this for yourself but the worst in us needs to be tamed, even in the worst of times. I'm not an angel, and this is a reminder to me too. But everyone can assess for themselves whether they, given the current circumstances, are holding themselves to the moral standard they should be. That's all I have to say on that.
Lastly, To my friends who got married, had babies, graduated and had other life accomplishments, may God accept, protect and continue to bless you.
To my friends who lost loved ones, who struggled/are struggling emotionally, financially and otherwise, may God protect, uplift and guide you out of these moments. I'm sorry. Allah yurhamhum (God have mercy on them).