Powerful Parents,
Information surrounding the virus COVID-19 continues to change rapidly. Activities, sports, community events, many religious gatherings and more are being postponed or canceled. With so much uncertainty, it can be a scary time for our kids. Because of this, we have asked licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, Klover Kallas, to give parents some tips on how to help ease the fears and anxiety we all might be feeling, but especially our children.
“For the last couple of weeks adults and kids alike have come to my office and expressed anxiety about the Coronavirus. Anxiety is a normal response to this stressful issue but there are ways to manage it well. Parents and caregivers can teach and model healthy coping skills by taking a few thoughtful steps:
- First, it is important to validate that the thought of getting sick is scary. Skipping validation makes kids feel unheard and their natural response is to repeat their fears and amplify their anxiety.
- Next, talk to kids about how our community is working to protect them. Changes like school cancelations or announcements can be framed as protection rather than alarmism. How we respond matters. Saying “I’m glad the school is being cautious and taking care of students” reduces anxiety while “This is terrible and I can’t believe it is happening” amps up ourselves and our kids. Since hand washing is recommended for prevention, make this activity about relaxing. Teach them to feel the warm water on their hands and to take deep breathes while they remind themselves that they are making wise decisions to protect themselves.
- Finally, limit their exposure to news and social media updates, especially if they are expressing a lot of anxiety. While it is important for adults to be informed, the constant information is overwhelming for them. By practicing these steps we can help our kids, and ourselves, reduce anxiety during this stressful time.”
Klover Kallas practices individual and couples counseling at Rooted Life Counseling Center. For more information visit: rootedlifecounseling.com. 
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment