5 Ways to Help your Child Cope with Pandemic Stress
The Covid-19 pandemic has brought new challenges, fears and stresses. Navigating the pandemic has been particularly hard for the children and youth in our lives. As parents, it is important to continue checking on your children and help them cope with the new stresses that have arisen this year. We have come up with a few ways you can help your child cope with stress. These techniques can also be altered depending on your child’s age. They will help protect the mental health of your children while giving them healthy ways to manage their own emotions.
1) Encourage them to keep in touch with friends and family.
Staying connected does not just have to be in-person. However, if socially distanced walks or outdoor activities are allowed- those are always a great idea! Staying connected can also be done through Zoom, phone calls or even old fashioned letters. Encouraging connection will be vital in helping to improve your child’s mental health. While in-person is better, trying to connect in other ways still helps and can be extremely beneficial until things improve.
2) Maintain a sense of routine.
So many changes have occurred due to the pandemic. These changes have significantly impacted kids and youth. Whether it is through learning virtually or attending school where things have changed greatly- it can be incredibly difficult to adjust to all these changes. Additionally, their extracurriculars may be impacted as well as their social activities. The best thing to do is to maintain their routine as best as possible or create a new one that they can adjust to. If their extracurriculars have a virtual option, it may be a good idea to still participate in these activities in order to maintain routine and connection with their peers. If your child is studying from home, establishing a proper routine with specific times can really help children and youth feel a sense of normalcy. Setting a constant bedtime routine or having a weekend activity may also help with this routine and give them something to look forward to.
3) Encourage your children to exercise or go for walks.
Exercise helps contribute to positive mental health and is crucial when there are not a lot of places to go. Exercise has been proven to help mental health significantly and is a natural mood booster. It also helps with focus and memory retention which are both beneficial for school.
4) Manage your own stress and demonstrate how to manage your own feelings
Kids can pick up on our own stress so try to be a strong role model on how to cope with your own stress. Not only will this benefit you, but it will also create a space where your children are more resilient to stress. Additionally, modelling how you are processing your own feelings will give your children ideas on how to process theirs.
5) Communicate that it is okay to not be okay.
It is normal for children to feel stressed and down. Letting them know that it is okay to not be okay can be a powerful statement on its own. You can share your own stories and feelings to help ease the shame around being overwhelmed. By being open and honest, you allow your children to also do the same and come to you if they need further help or resources for their mental health.
Reports of child abuse must be made to the following reporting sources:
Edmonton Police Service Complaint Line: 780-423-4567
Child Abuse Hotline: 1-800-387-5437 (KIDS)
Kids Help Phone: 1-800-668-6868 or Text CONNECT to 686868
Crime Stoppers: 1-800-222-8477
Online Exploitation: cybertip.ca
Or your local police/RCMP detachment.
Sources:
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/daily-life-coping/for-parents.html
https://www.helpguide.org/articles/healthy-living/the-mental-health-benefits-of-exercise.htm