How to Keep Your Families Mental Health from Being Negatively Affected

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post. 

The coronavirus pandemic has changed the way we live our lives. This has led to an enormous emotional toll on families as parents struggle to balance their work and home lives. The concept of the ‘new normal’ has led to people panicking about what it means and whether this is going to last until the end of time.

This situation won’t last forever. It’s inevitable that once a vaccine is found and enough people have been infected with the virus that life will begin to get back to how it always was again.

In the meantime, though, families have to find a way to cope. Here’s how you can keep the mental health of your family in a positive place during trying times.

Don’t Stretch Yourself Too Thin

The worst thing you can do is attempt to be the perfect parent. These are extraordinary times and if you hold yourself to excessively high standards you’re always going to fall short.

Concentrate on what matters and don’t sweat the small things. Focus on the basics of teaching your kids, keeping them entertained, and maintaining a hygienic home.

Take Time for Self Care

As a parent, you’ve been forced to take on more roles than ever before. Without the help of school and with work and home becoming entwined, you’re going to feel the strain at some point. This is when anxiety and depression can start to appear.

Take some time away for some self-care. It’s never been more important, even if you can only catch an hour here and there.

Read a book, workout alone, take a soothing bath, these little actions can make all the difference.

See Also: 50 Self Care Ideas For Moms

Listen to Your Children

The reality is children likely don’t understand why all these things are happening, particularly if they’re very young. Explaining to them why they can’t go outside with their friends, for example, is tricky.

Be mindful of their feelings and check in with them to figure out how they’re feeling and how you can improve their well-being.

The lack of understanding can be extremely frustrating for children, so take that into account if your children are down or starting to act out.

Maintain as Much of Your Usual Routine as Possible

As tempting as it is to stay up all night and have breakfast at noon, changes like this can have a real negative impact on mental health.

An easy way to preserve mental health is to maintain as much of your usual routine as possible. This includes maintaining a sleep schedule, eating meals at certain times, and maintaining a routine throughout the day.

Trying to match their distance learning programs with actual school hours is a great way of helping them to keep their minds in check.

Make Time for Exercise

Exercise is important, we all know that. New research reveals that even light exercise for young children can have a profound mental health impact later in life. Creating positive exercise habits early can allow them to grow up as mentally stronger and healthier individuals.

Always make some time for exercise. This doesn’t have to be a formal class. It can be as simple as kicking around a soccer ball in the backyard.

Try to get your kids moving for at least one hour every day.

See Also: How to Encourage Kids to Stay Active and Healthy

Keep Children Busy During the Day

Mental health problems in children work in a similar way to adults. When you don’t have anything to do, feelings of anxiety and depression are prone to grow.

This is amplified among children. They’re full of energy and they need regular outlets. Keeping your kids busy during the day will reduce the number of mental health issues they experience throughout the pandemic.

Creating a learning center for education, directing them to fun online resources, getting outside for some lessons in the yard are all things you could do to keep them busy.

Consider an Emotional Support Animal

Did you know that the number of pet adoptions has rocketed since March of this year?

The benefits of emotional support animals when it comes to fighting anxiety and depression are numerous. The science backs this up and there’s a proven link between better mental health when emotional support animals are present.

When your kids are finding it difficult to stay away from their friends and classmates, an emotional support animal can fill the gap.

Of course, an emotional support animal is for life and not just for a few months. Before opting for an emotional support animal, think about whether you can afford a pet and whether you have time to take care of it in the long-term.

See Also: How to Prepare For a Puppy Adoption

See a Virtual Therapist

If your kids are in a bad place right now, consider setting up a meeting with a virtual therapist. Virtual therapists work in the same way as normal therapists, apart from the fact all the meetings take place online.

Virtual therapists can help them to talk through their feelings and enable them to make some sense with regards to what they’re feeling.

The demand for virtual therapists has increased exponentially. Both children and adults are now benefitting.

Plus, a meeting with a virtual therapist is typically much cheaper than meeting with a therapist in-person. Finally, you may find that your existing health insurance plan covers virtual therapists.

See Also: Top Virtual Healthcare Services For 2020

You Can Keep Your Families Mental Health From Being Negatively Affected

The coronavirus pandemic has shined new light on mental health issues. Rostrum Records founder Benjy Grinberg has shared his experiences on the stigma surrounding mental health and how the pandemic has helped to push back against those stigmas.

In short, there’s nothing wrong with asking for help if you feel like someone in your family is experiencing mental health problems as a result of the pandemic.

The steps detailed above can go a long way to helping you and your kids make it through the pandemic. If you feel like you need some additional guidance, it’s worth getting in touch with the National Parent Helpline.

How has your family fared through lockdown and social distancing?