How to help your child manage depression and anxiety during COVID?
This global pandemic has been stressful on all of us. The stress, fear and uncertainty caused by COVID weighs heavily on us and our children and can affect their mental health also.
Many families have lost their jobs during this pandemic or stayed cooped up in the house for too long. You might have lost family members to COVID. Schools, colleges and other community programs have been shut down due to this.
This pandemic related stress can have lasting mental health stress on our developing minds of children. It’s important as parents to check in with your child, to ensure they feel safe and protected during this uncertain times.
Here are some ways you can check in with your child and help manage their anxiety and depression during COVID:-
1- Emphasise the importance of wearing masks during this pandemic.
You can broach this subject gently, keeping in mind to be emphatic if they are feeling anxious or frustrated.
If you and your family members are all vaccinated, it’s still important to wear a mask whenever you step out to keep yourselves as well as other family members safe.
2- You can lead them with your sample by washing your hands frequently, every time you come back to home or before and after a meal.
Regular hand washing is a great precaution against COVID-19 as well as other diseases. If you have a toddler then you can sing their favourite song while you wash their hands and feet to make it more fun for them.
You can teach them that germs can be invisible and washing their hands will kill these germs and prevent them from getting sick.
3- Start teaching your children to cover up when they sneeze, either either their elbow or with a clean handkerchief.
You can ask them to tell you immediately if they have difficulty in breathing, catch a cold or have a fever.
4- Get them ready to attend online classes by making it more fun for them.
Decorate their room the way they want as they will spend a lot of hours in this room to study and learn so the furnitures should be arranged to make them feel more comfortable.
You can wake them early so they can help you prepare breakfast by making pancakes together. They will love to spend their mornings with you before they sit for their class.
5- Engage in various fun and creative activities as a way to check in with them and help them relax.
You can sit down and draw with them or solve a puzzle together, where they can talk to you and vent out any negative feelings they are experiencing. You should remain calm, gentle and provide a safe space for them to speak their mind.
At lilamigosnest, we have various puzzles, toys and drawing kits that you can buy to help you spend some quality time with your children.
6- There are a lot of misinformation in social media and your child might get misinformed so have an open discussion with them about the impact and cause of COVID so they are well informed.
7- Some of the schools have slowly started opening up and your child might feel nervous or reluctant after being at home for so many months.
It’s important to reassure them and remind them that they can finally see their friends after so long and they can always come to you if they face any problems.
You can also remind them to continue wearing masks in school as it’ important to follow proper measures to keep themselves safe.
8- You can start learning to recognise the signs when your child feels stressful so you can help them relax.
If your kid feels irritated, gets fussy, has trouble falling asleep or starts bedwetting then these are all signs that your child needs help.
9- You can get in touch with your paediatrician during this pandemic whenever you have any concerns. Schedule a video call or visit them after getting an appointment to keep yourselves well informed.
Your paediatrician can help your child manage with stress or anxiety also.
10- You set the tone in your house so start taking care of yourself and doing fun activities that help you de-stress.
Your children look up to you and if they see you happy and healthy, it’s going to make them feel better and they will take care of themselves as well.
You can workout together, go for a bike ride, practise yoga and start eating healthy as a family.
Conclusion
These are uncertain times and there is no one solution for all. It’s important to keep the lines of communication between you and your kids open at all times so they don’t hesitate to talk about their feelings or problems.
You can also consult a paediatrician or therapist to work on your mental health if it’s too much to cope up with.
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