NEW TIP SHEET Fighting Pandemic Burnout
#pandemicburnout #papafa #mentalhealth #mentalwellness
One year ago we had no idea what was ahead of us. We can all think back and remember having thoughts that we hoped this wouldn't impact our summer plans. Little did we know it would cause us to cancel all of our plans for over a year. Around the world, people are feeling what is being coined Pandemic Burnout. The feeling of being burnout is not a new one, especially to parents who are raising children that are struggling. But what makes Pandemic Burnout unique is the fact that people are completely overwhelmed and done with all things pandemic-related. We have spent a year staring at screens both for work and helping our children with distance learning, or if you are an essential worker you have risked your safety to go out into the world to do your job. Parents have lost jobs, families have lost loved ones, and children have lost a year of in-person education.
The loss over this year has been great, and to different extents has impacted everyone in the world. We at the Parent Alliance want you to know if you are feeling burnout right, you are not alone. Almost everyone that we speak to has been feeling it too. That is why we wanted to focus our tip sheet this month on Identifying and Helping to Alleviate Pandemic Burnout. Like all of our tip sheets, we went out and asked families how they are doing, and what they have found that helps them deal with the feelings of burnout. We know that a parent who is raising a child that is struggling cannot just take a day off of parenting or sometimes may not even have the time for a shower let alone a long bubble bath. These are tips from parents who are raising children that are struggling, to parents who are raising children that are struggling.
This has become one of our largest tip sheets because what we consistently heard is that one thing may work for one family, and not another. Everyone's pandemic experience has been so personal and different that there is no one solution that will automatically cure all of the burnout of our families (trust us we wish there was). So this tip sheet details a number of things you can give a try. Whether it is looking up "one-pot meals" to save yourself some time doing dishes, or sitting down with your partner and having an honest conversation about your expectations for each other, we hope there is something for everyone. Like always we are constantly looking to update our resources with the best and most useful tips for our families so if you know a tip that we did not mention let us know!
Have you seen our other Pandemic-related resources?
The Safer at Home Page is a one-stop-shop for any resources you may need.
The Socializing at a Distance Tip Sheet offers unique ideas on how to make sure your children are able to safely socialize with their friends and peers.
The Distance Learning Troubleshooting Tip sheet offers some answers to FAQs regarding distance learning. It also covers information on IEPs and 504s during distance learning.
The Staying Connected tip sheet offers ways that noncustodial parents and other adult loved ones in your children's lives can stay connected to them safely.
We hope that this week of beautiful weather and hopeful vaccine news has given you a sense of relief that the end is coming and things can slowly go back to normal. So if you are able to; open your windows, take a deep breath in, and congratulate yourself on getting through this long year with your family.
For a downloadable version of the tip sheet click here.