Living Well
5 tips for parents as kids embark on HBL
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To ease the stress of juggling work and childcare duties while children embark on home-based learning, parents can take turns caring for the young ones and doing chores to give themselves time to recharge.
PHOTO: ISTOCKPHOTO
1 BRING YOURSELF BACK TO THE PRESENT
You may worry about work, taking care of your children, and having fears of you or your children getting Covid-19. This often causes a negative thinking cycle where you get increasingly disturbed, though the situation remains the same.
It is like a bus stop where the buses are thoughts and feelings. Boarding the wrong bus takes your mind in circles of distress while the situation is unchanged.
It is more helpful to take a deep breath, step back, look at what you can do in the present and let go of the rest.
2 RECOGNISE WHAT YOU CANNOT CONTROL
Responsibilities at work, taking extra care of children during this period and health concerns may make you feel like you need to exert more control over an unpredictable situation.
However, there is a difference between constructive control and attempts to control what you cannot, which cause distress without creating positive change.
Know the difference and focus on what you can do instead.
3 DO FULFILLING LEISURE ACTIVITIES
You may not be able to engage in your usual leisure activities as a family. Find other means to improve your mood. For example, instead of a family meal outside, do a spontaneous potluck where everyone orders something on a grocery delivery app and puts together a surprise hotpot at home.
4 MAINTAIN A BALANCED SCHEDULE
People's sleep cycle and emotions rely on many external cues to draw boundaries between mental states.
For example, the bus ride home takes your attention away from work. This cue is absent if you are working from home.
It is important to create a schedule to maintain boundaries. Doing so will reduce chances of sleep disturbance and burnout.
Parents can also take turns caring for children and doing chores to give themselves time to recharge.
5 SEEK HELP
Teletherapy, which enables people to receive therapy for mental health issues virtually, is a common offering these days, so you do not have to worry about stepping out of the home and getting Covid-19 or spreading it to loved ones. You can also approach counsellors at your workplace.
• Source: Mr Benjamin Low, a clinical psychologist and corporate wellness consultant at Psych Connect
