Parenting Through the Pandemic

By Peggy Gomula and Sally Kidder Davis

Life is different. Our parenting is less predictable with more uncertainty than ever before. This new normal requires us to draw on our reserves, due to chronic stress. This begs the question—how do we fill our tanks when our usual go-tos are not available?

First of all we need to accept that this is our new reality. Masks, social distancing, remote learning, no more massages or lattes with friends - all leaves us disconnected and depleted.  We are hardwired for connection and most of our opportunities for human contacts have been taken away. We are faced with grieving the loss of what we once had with no end in sight.

How do we find the reserves to parent through all of this? Especially since most of us will be working from home and our kiddos will be doing remote learning. We will need to dig deep to find the necessary resources to power through and maintain strong, healthy relationships within the family. How do we redefine self-care to give us more resilience in the midst of the pandemic? 

First and foremost, we need to refill our tanks: 

• Continue connections over Zoom or FaceTime (friends, family, support groups)

• Create safe pods with friends and family that you can visit with regularly

• Consider offering service to those in need in your community

• Keep a Gratitude Journal

• Don’t feel obligated to say ‘YES’ to every request

• Exercise, mindfulness, yoga (possibly as a family)

• Think outside the box to find new ways to connect with your family

This topic is trending right now, so there is no shortage of suggestions. One article, Your Surge Capacity is Depleted - It’s Why You Feel Awful, spoke to both of us. The author reminds us to be gentle with ourselves and begin gradually building up our resilience bank account so we have some reserves to fall back on when life feels overwhelming. 

What strategies are working for you?

Email us here and let us know.

Next month we will share these strategies with our readers.