In the Times of Coronavirus
Welcome to a new time in our world the likes of which we have never seen before. As with any adversity in life, I like to look for the learning opportunities for ourselves and the teaching opportunities for our kids.
This is a time of uncertainty. Many of us don’t like uncertainty much. It’s reminds us of how little we can control and for those of us with anxiety, losing control is especially uncomfortable. Sitting with the discomfort of uncertainty is an amazing opportunity to teach our kids that uncertainty is ok. It’s doable. It’s not as bad as we think it’s going to be.
This is a time for us to model balance for our kids. Staying calm and putting one foot in front of the other, taking care of business and coping with whatever comes our way is how we show them balance. Don’t be reactive. Stay calm, stay grounded and take one thing at a time.
This new term “social distancing” is an interesting concept. I didn’t realize how many people I touched or hugged in a day until I began not hugging them. Keeping people safe is of paramount importance, of course. Keep in mind those who rarely feel the touch of another human and be sure to reach out to them and, at least, touch their hearts with your kindness.
As parents who might be alone in the house with kids for many days and with few breaks, be sure to take good care of yourselves. Self-care, recharge time, etc…Plan ahead as much as possible for whatever breaks you can possibly work out. Even a few minutes can recharge you. Plan to do things you never get a chance to do with your kids that you’ve always dreamed of. Things you yearn to accomplish, but never get the chance with work, school and crazy sports schedules. Now that those things are on hold, seize the opportunity!
Everyone’s anxiety is super high. As if we didn’t already have enough anxiety, now we are reaching new highs. It’s time to pull out all of the tools we have talked about for years, but didn’t always employ because we didn’t absolutely have to. Now, we have to
- Breathe deep breaths, slowly
- Move your body – exercise, go for a walk, go for a run, do yoga poses, MOVE!
- Listen to guided meditations – YouTube has millions of guided meditations! Look up guided meditations for anxiety or for stress reduction. Listen to them. Let them ground you. Let them calm you.
- Laughter is wonderful medicine – watch comedy movies, shows that make you laugh out loud, play games that crack you up. Watch stand-up comedians on Netflix or YouTube
- Prioritize your thoughts – no need to worry about things you can’t control or things that don’t matter right now. Stay focused on what is truly important today and let the rest go for now. You can even make a list of things to deal with later.
We are in a war time, of sorts. Like previous generations, we have to remember what is most important. We have to keep in mind that, though we are used to getting what we want when we want it, we are living in a different world right now. We may have to delay our gratification, we may have to accept second best, we may have to tolerate some discomfort for a while.
Keep your wits about you, stay philosophical during these uncertain and crazy times and think healthy and positive thoughts and keep your bodies in a good space to fight off anything and to keep your immune system healthy!
I’m here for you during these crazy pandemic days. If you need a little extra support and tips to get through, don’t hesitate to contact me. 818-929-2560 or bette@balancedparenting.com.
Stay healthy, Everyone!!!
XOXO
Bette
