How to help your child through COVID-19's new normal.
What a confusing time we are living in and taking one day at a time puts things into perspective, especially when little eyes are watching us to see how we deal with new and potentially stressful situations. Parenting isn’t easy at the best of times, let alone living through a pandemic, quarantined at home, exhausted and overwhelmed - so cut yourself some slack, let go of rigid expectations and focus on the now.
COMMUNICATE
Trust you know your child best, so let their questions be your guide as to how much information you wish to provide. Secrecy and silence won’t protect them, but being their source of reliable information will at least build trust between you.
WATCH CLOSELY
Anxiety can present itself in many different forms and not all communication is done verbally. Challenging behavior is often a child’s way of expressing an unmet need so responding with L.O.V.E (Listen, Observe, Validate & Empathize), will diffuse an argument and strengthen connection.
GET IT OUT
Now is the perfect time to introduce journaling to your kids and this fun and reflective habit of ‘brain-dumping’ daily thoughts into a safe and non-judgmental space, is a fantastic way for young people to process difficult feelings and reclaim a sense of calm and clarity.
GROUND DOWN
When in survival mode, we can be full of anxiety and stress without even realizing it. Grounding exercises are a powerful tool to interrupt anxious thoughts. For example, planting the balls of your feet on the floor and placing one hand on your heart, the other on the top of your head and close your eyes to avoid distractions. Observe the sensation of weight resting on the crown of the head for 2 mins. Another great exercise for kids is to try the 5-4-3-2-1 game, so find 5 things you can see, 4 things you can hear, 3 things you can smell, 2 things you can touch and 1 thing you can taste.)
TOUCH
Give and receive hugs, hugs and more hugs!!! Obviously, NO hugs outside the family home for now, but giving a family member a super-charged, power hug for 20 seconds not only feels AMAZING because it releases oxytocin into the body increasing levels of love and connection, but it also reduces cortisol levels, resulting in less stress and anxiety, thus making us healthier and happier all round. Give yourself a target of 12 hugs a day for optimal results!
DO WHAT FEELS GOOD
Mental health is just as important as physical health, so while you might be limited in physical activities at the moment, take this time to reconnect with yourself and practice self-compassion, turning acceptance and love inward. Comfort and nourish your body with good food, focus on gut health, get more sleep, meditate, run a bath and enjoy a good book etc. Do what feels good!
LOOK TO THE FUTURE
One day COVID-19 will be nothing but a distant memory and when the storm clears, think about what memories and learnings do you want your family to take away from the whole experience.
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