There are so many free resources and information coming at me lately, whether it is in my email or on social media, many people will be feeling overwhelmed. I want to do best by my kids and so I have this desire to want to keep track of ALL of it: the free educational websites, museums offering virtual visits, karate teachers streaming online classes, virtual mindfulness retreats etc. etc.
I probably want to organize and keep track of all of these resources because it feels like it's something I can actually take control of right now in these uncertain times. And deep down I'm feeling upset by so many things that are going on in the world that are out of my control. When I feel out of control of these situations, I will acknowledge my feelings, take some slow deep breaths and focus on what I can control, like practicing some self-care. Modeling good coping skills and self-care is vital for my children right now.
I've seen lots of posts this week from stressed out parents trying to school their kids at home. Some of them are trying to do academics for many hours straight in a day, while working from home as well. Here are some tips on creating a schedule and a copy of our schedule here. I'll add some more about this in a future blog post too, but for now here is your parent/guardian pandemic permission slip with a reminder that it's okay to be gentle with yourself and to let go of some of those expectations. Just try to stay present. This is hard enough! Your kids don't need access to every single cool free resource posted out there. It would be impossible. They will be okay. And you will too.
If you find yourself tense (maybe you are clenching your jaw or your body is tight), take some time to do something for yourself to relax. Maybe you want to check out one of these apps to help with relaxation. After you've had some time to relax, try to do something fun to get your whole family laughing. We played charades the other night and it was amazing. We laughed A LOT as a whole family and it was perfect. Carve out some time to connect with each other in a meaningful way and create some fun, playful memories as a family together.
Be kind to yourselves and each other. Keep practicing your slow, deep breaths, and try to be non-judgmental and compassionate towards yourselves and others. It can be hard, I know.
For some coping skills you can practice with your kids, check out these free coping skills dice and the coping skills plan in my Free Resource Library. Just subscribe to my email list below to receive the password. I'm updating and adding new content often.
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Scroll down to the bottom of this page to access the free resource library!