It has been an incredibly long 18 months. Everyone is struggling to keep things together as we enter the third school year in a row that will be impacted in some way by COVID. It somehow seems harder after it felt like we were beginning to get a taste of the normalcy that we craved so badly. Now if you turn on the news, or scroll on social media the stories are getting grimmer and grimmer by the day. Not only does hearing about things like the Delta variant cause people anxiety it is truly hard to even picture what this upcoming fall and winter will look like.
As a parent who is raising a child who is struggling you are no stranger to hardship. You handle in a day what a lot of people couldn't imagine dealing with. While your experiences raising your child have made you stronger as a parent, and as a person - you have feelings, emotions, and your own challenges. You are human and not only has the pandemic impacted your children it has deeply impacted you and we encourage you to prioritize yourself as well. Your mental health matters too!
We've heard from many of the families that we work with there really is no "easy" career to have right now. If you are a stay at home parent distance learning was a huge challenge, if you transitioned into working from home it was hard to focus in such chaos, if you are an essential worker you put your safety on the line to provide for your family and keep this country moving, and if you lost your job due to COVID you had to navigate the overwhelmingly confusing unemployment process and deal with the stress of potentially losing financial stability.
While a majority of our resources are created for parents to help their children-many of them can also be used to help you. It is not just your children who may be having a hard time right now, you may be struggling with your mental health, or your partner could be struggling with theirs. If you are, you are far from alone. Nearly every parent we speak with is having anxiety about what this school year will look like, how their children are doing, how their other relatives and friends are staying safe, and so much more. Your plate is full to the brim and it has been for well over a year. Below are some resources that may help you take a minute to turn inward and focus on your mental health. With the school year right around the corner, your kids are going to need your support. You will be able to give the best possible support to them if you have prioritized yourself and practice what you preach. Mental health matters for your kids, and it matters for you too.
Emotional Safety Plan
As a parent raising a child who is struggling you know that tensions can run high and it can happen in the blink of an eye. Once a person is in a heightened state of stress it can be difficult to think straight - that's where an Emotional Safety Plan comes in.
The idea of this plan is to sit down and think about what kinds of activities help to calm you down. Whether it's a walk around the neighborhood, putting on your favorite album as loud as your headphones go, or dialing up a friend to vent to; everyone is different. This 100% personalized list will then be placed somewhere easily accessible, like on your fridge, your bedside table, or in your wallet, and when things do get overwhelming you can take out the list and know exactly what to do to help calm yourself down. Pro tip - for best results practice using your plan often and revise as necessary.
Pandemic Burnout Tip Sheet
Like we said above; this pandemic has lasted much longer than many of us expected and people around the world are experiencing something called Pandemic Burnout. This phenomenon occurs because people are exhausted from everything pandemic-related like masks, scary news stories, worrying about family members, distance learning, and everything else.
This tip sheet starts out by identifying some symptoms commonly associated with Pandemic Burnout. It's possible you could be experiencing this and not even realize what it is. We have heard from many people that they are getting frustrated with themselves for being "lazy" or "extra tired" but in reality, they are burnt out and need to give themselves a break. In this tip sheet, you will also find some ideas to try to help alleviate this burnout. Not everything will fit into your specific situation but read it over and give some a try!
Re-Entry Anxiety
This summer we did get a taste of re-entering society. Everyone did so on varying levels but for many, it has been a source of anxiety. For over a year we have been hearing about how dangerous it is to do things as simple as going to the grocery store and now many are finding it hard to do things they once enjoyed. These feelings are made even more complicated when we think back to our total lockdown where all we wanted to do was leave our house and we don't feel comfortable anywhere but home.
As the uncertainty of what's to come still looms over us these feelings of Re-entry Anxiety are getting worse and worse by the day. This tip sheet gives you some ideas to try to help ease some of that anxiety you may be experiencing.
Your mental health is important. You want your children to look up to someone who prioritizes their mental health and is open about their struggles. You are also able to be a better parent if you have taken care of yourself. We hope that these tip sheets give you some good ideas on how to help alleviate some of the anxiety and stress you may be feeling. Always remember that caregivers deserve care too! Check out this blog where we spoke to parents who are raising children who are struggling about how they practice self-care!