How to help your family deal with coronavirus | UniSC | University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia

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How to help your family deal with coronavirus

As families adjust to a ‘new normal’, a range of difficult emotions can be experienced by parents and children. Parents may experience stress and anxiety as they navigate the impact of COVID-19 and uncertainty of how long restrictions will continue. When children are stressed they often display out of character behaviours, due to their difficulty in regulating emotions.

Advice for parents 

  • Read official websites – it is important to obtain information about COVID-19 from a reliable source, like the Australian Government, rather than social media
  • Validate your children’s feelings – taking time to listen to how children are feeling can help them cope with difficult emotions
  • Take time out for you – if you support yourself, you can better support your children

How to address children’s anxiety

  • Understand you are the most important safe place for your children
  • Establish a new daily routine together
  • Try to model seeing the best in others and situations
  • Get outside and move your bodies, remembering to properly distance from others
  • Ask: 'what I am grateful for today?'

Consider mindfulness

Research shows that mindfulness meditation can reduce symptoms of stress, anxiety and depression. Some resources to consider are:

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Michelle Kennedy is a PhD candidate researching how mindfulness can help learning in anxious young people. She is an experienced educator, specialising in emotional, social and academic development of children.

Sources: Greater Good Science Centre, Conscious Discipline -Dr Becky Bailey

Media enquiries: Please contact the Media Team media@usc.edu.au