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“The COVID-19 pandemic has raised concerns about the mental health of a generation of children. But the pandemic may represent the tip of a mental health iceberg – an iceberg we have ignored for far too long.”
-UNICEF
Now more than ever, prioritizing our children’s mental health over their schoolwork and academics is a must. Even though the lockdown period finally came to an end a while ago, the damage that COVID-19 has had on children’s well-being is still present to this day and will continue into our future. The pandemic has caused children to experience an increasingly significant amount of stress. Children have been obliged to stay in isolation for long periods of time, have been disallowed to be social, go out as much as they used to, or as much as young children should. During this time, children have not been able to be in regular contact with their friends or any other kids their age, which can be detrimental to their development and overall wellness. Additionally, they were not able to be very physically active given the restrictions that were implemented. It is sad to say that some children have also experienced the loss of a loved one, be it one of their parents or another family member due to the virus. Overall, children missed out on key factors and experiences that typically both shape and build a person’s childhood. Many children are still struggling to adjust and cope with the changes that have taken place since the pandemic until this day.
It's normal to feel like you don’t know where to start when trying to support your children during such confusing times. Here are four tips that can help kickstart the process.
Children need to be able to express their feelings and open up about how the pandemic has affected them and how they currently feel. Providing children with a listening ear and validation will help them better understand their emotions and will support them as they digest what has been happening. Encourage your child to share with you the fears and thoughts that they have had, the activities they enjoyed doing, and what they learned during this period. Have a discussion with them about how they will be able to deal with the upcoming period and what are the practical steps that they need to take to achieve this because when children are involved in the problem-solving process it creates a sense of self-efficacy and a sense of control over the situation.
Even though loneliness is a feeling that can affect anyone at any time, it’s probably one of the most common feelings that we have all, especially experienced during this pandemic. It’s very probable that your child felt lonely during lockdown since they had to spend a long time away from their friends and even their extended family. One of our priorities regarding our children’s mental health is to try to decrease the feelings of loneliness as much as we can. One way to do so is by having them talk to their friends and communicate with them virtually if they cannot physically see them.
The best thing you can do for your child when addressing their mental well-being is to be there for them. There are many simple ways to show up for your children and to tend to their mental health needs. You can do so by having regular conversations with them, cooking with them, or dedicating some time out of your day to playing with them and having game nights with the whole family. It’s very important for them to feel that you are present and that they are not alone in this situation or in any situation for that matter. Even if you usually limit their screen time, if they don’t frequently see their friends, then you can try to make an exception for FaceTime and phone calls for now.
Children aren’t the only ones whose mental health was affected by the pandemic. If you want to take care of your children’s mental well-being, you need to first know how to support yourself.
“You can’t pour from an empty cup”.
Give yourself regular breaks and have some time alone. This will give you the chance and the ability to process everything that has been going on in your life. Living through a pandemic is not a walk in the park and if you think that you need to recharge, then go ahead and do whatever it takes to feel better. Your mental well-being should always be a priority, because if we’re depleted then how should we expect ourselves to be able to tend to others’ needs? The pandemic certainly came with a multitude of new challenges for us and our children. It hasn’t been easy to cope during that time and it’s been challenging to readjust ever since. Our struggles are valid and we should honour our efforts to get back on track despite how difficult it is to do so.
