Health fears and economic fallout aside, one of the most difficult parts of the fight against the novel coronavirus pandemic is staying socially and physically isolated.
The situation is unique when it comes to children. It can be very strange for them that their schools are closed and they have to attend classes online. The psychological effect of social change can be long lasting on impressionable young minds.
There has been a great need to address issues related to child psychology. Experts have started raising their voice on how important it is to help children cope with the health crises and associated changes. Indian Community Benevolent Forum (ICBF) under the aegis of Indian embassy has regularly been organising online interactions with community at large to address the issues of economic stress and mental health issues.
Recently ICBF held its third session on the topic of Mental Health – Facing Challenges with Positivity. The topic of the session was ‘Balanced Routine for Children’. The guest speaker was Sithara Manoj, a special educator and counseller by profession.
With over 11 years of experience in various organisations in Qatar, Sithara has attained various national and international certification in the field of special education and child psychology. She has keen interest in social activities and developing children with various challenges.
Talking to Community, after her session, the expert said that because of the current situation the daily routine had been uprooted or disregarded altogether. “The health crisis has created high levels of stress and anxiety for us as well as our kids. Working at home along with children who are out of school is really hard, and parents are truly concerned about trying to balance their responsibilities as working adults with the complete turmoil in their lives.”
Regarding to how to help manage stress at home, Sithara said: “Actually there is no magic wand or one-size-fits-all approach to balance everything. But even through all the turbulence, mental health professionals and educators who specialised in psychology insist that, no matter what your situation is, keeping a routine which includes six to eight hours sleep, healthy food, staying hydrated, regular exercise is one of the most essential and effective technique to help manage stress and anxiety during this time.”
Elaborating herself on how can parents mitigate stress at home, the special educator said: “It is important to talk with your kids about what is going on and be realistic according to their age and understanding level. It’s natural for kids to ask questions or even be afraid, while parents want to be reassuring. It’s important to listen and hear their concerns and always engage with them. Emphasise a positive approach to the problem. Help them think about what they can do and how they can be safe. For example, you can start a conversation with questions like, what do you think is going on? This can help parents learn what their kids are thinking and how much they understand. Then talk about ways how they can control this situation.
“It’s also important to let kids be disappointed or even angry. As a result of numerous cancellations, kids are missing many things. They may be missing their school friends. Acknowledge their disappointment. Then encourage kids to think about what they can do next.”
The expert laid stress on staying connected while practicing social distancing. “Parents should talk to their kids about social distancing as a way to prevent the physical spread of the virus, but that doesn’t mean avoiding social contact with others. Reaching out and connecting with family and friends is crucial during periods of stress and anxiety.
“The pandemic is an opportunity for parents to challenge themselves and their kids to connect in different ways including video chats, writing letters and drawings. Let kids use social media to stay connected to peers and relatives even if they aren’t usually allowed to do so. Communication can help kids feel less alone and mitigate some of the stress that comes from being away from school and friends.”
Sithara laid extra stress on building routine and predictability at home for kids. “Avoid endless, open-ended days while kids are home. Just because they are out of school or away from work doesn’t mean they can’t have a degree of structure. Parents should talk with their kids about creating a schedule at home. Keep it simple. It could be as basic as scheduling blocks of time each day for different activities. Make it visual. Put the schedule on the refrigerator for kids to easily see it throughout the day. Knowing what’s going to happen helps reduce anxiety. Be flexible and anything could change during the day. To create a routine is not to re-create the school day exactly, as it is impossible, but to build a new routine for doing schoolwork at home.
In her detailed presentation to the community members, Sithara also touched upon the need for having different home, physical, and family activities to keep kids busy.
u201cAvoid endless, open-ended days while kids are home. Just because they are out of school or away from work doesn’t mean they can’t have a degree of structure. Parents should talk with their kids about creating a schedule at home. Keep it simple. It could be as basic as scheduling blocks of time each day for different activitiesu201d u2014 Sithara Manoj
