Self Care for Parents in the Age of Covid
A recent article in the “Atlantic” highlighted the severe anxiety experienced by many of us right now. It is estimated that at least 1/3 of adults are experiencing significant mental health effects right now. Whether it is from suffering from the loss of a loved one, work stress/employment issues, childcare issues, the list goes on. Many of us are likely suffering from some degree of depression, anxiety, or post-traumatic stress disorder. So if you are struggling, you should know that you are definitely not alone
The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) has released some useful tools and resources for coping with stress and anxiety:
We don’t claim to have the answers here, but there are some ideas and tips that we hope could help someone manage their daily stress. Some of this overlaps with our recent blog about routines. Also, there are numerous online resources for yoga, meditation, exercise so we will list a few of our favorites. This is for you parents, or grown-ups but some of these tips can apply to kids too.
“Nature RX,” the ultimate prescription. We cannot overstate the impact that nature can have on your well being. Just like being in a negative space can affect your mood and even your physiological symptoms (blood pressure, stress level, immune suppression, chronic illness), being in nature can have the inverse effect. It is a healing place.
Nature can have a powerful effect and especially now, it is important to find moments where you can find it. So if you can; go for a hike, sit by a lake or go for a swim, go for a run or brisk walk. Now is the time. Ideally, in these hot summer days, for those parents who are home with young children all day, if you can get out by yourself in the cool brisk air (or even 70-80 degree air!) first thing in the morning or later in the evening you might find it helpful or even rejuvenating. You deserve to have this space for yourself. It’s not easy and you may have to force yourself out the door at first but I promise you will not regret that you did this for yourself. If you can’t get outdoors, another idea is to wake up extra early and start your day with some yoga or meditation (more below):
https://www.takingcharge.csh.umn.edu/how-does-nature-impact-our-wellbeing
Photo Credit: Tim Gallagher
Eat Well and Sleep Well. We cannot overestimate the importance of getting enough sleep and eating a nutritious diet in terms of the impact on our health and well-being. Sleep is such an important contributor to our health. According to the American Sleep Association, sleep has an effect on everything from brain function, to the immune system, heart disease and strokes, life length and even weight gain. Eating well is arguably equally important. We won’t go into depth here, but some good advice (for kids too!) is to limit sugar intake, drink lots of water throughout the day, eat a ton and variety of vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts and foods high in Omega 3’s (seafood like salmon is very healthy and a great source). If you can, visit the local farmers markets for fresh produce and more.
https://www.health.harvard.edu/plate/healthy-eating-plate/
Limit Screen Time. Although it can be tempting to constantly read or listen to the never ending news, post or read article after article on Facebook, try and resist the temptation. Try to limit your time on social media, especially now. Trust me, it's not helping you and can be very addictive. Notice how you feel after you spend time on the screen. If you don’t feel good, this is a tell-tale sign that it’s not helping you. Instead, maybe watch a good movie at the end of the day, read a magazine, a novel, or listen to some music that you enjoy or to a podcast. Audio books are great too. But turn off the social media.
Regular Exercise. A ton of research evidence points to the multiple benefits of regular exercise. Exercise has a big impact on our mental health. It does this by directly affecting the brain- in positive ways. We won’t go into detail here, but we will attach a Psychology Today article that describes the great benefits of exercise and the wonderful ways in which it affects our mind and spirit. It sometimes takes a bit of a push to start, but you won’t regret that you did this for yourself.
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/what-works-and-why/201803/how-your-mental-health-reaps-the-benefits-exercise
Try Yoga or Meditation/Mindfulness Practices. If you haven’t ever tried this then now is probably one of the best times to introduce yoga and/or meditation into your life. Not only are these techniques calming but there is research to suggest there are positive effects on stress level and mental health disorders, such as anxiety and depression, the immune system and well-being. Teaching children mindfulness practices can be very effective as well (it's not just for adults!) and has shown great benefit in treating mental health conditions in children. Perhaps most importantly, remember to breathe :-) .. one good reminder for yoga which can become a regular practice, is to leave your yoga mat out where you can see it.
There are many free tools and classes online. Below are some tools and favorites, including a video from our local librarian director, Priscilla from Phillips Free Library, who has some great tips for dealing with stress.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WJTIfQujp2o
https://www.mythoughtcoach.com/
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFKE7WVJfvaHW5q283SxchA
https://childmind.org/article/the-power-of-mindfulness/