01 Mar Stress and Parenting During the Pandemic

The Covid-19 pandemic has been a challenging time for all of us, be it adults or children. As families grapple with this unexpected turn of events, it is but natural for anxiety and stress to escalate. As parents, we’re all floating in the same boat and it is okay to feel this way. If it has been difficult to remain motivated and you often find yourself under immense parenting pressure, here are a few ways that would help:

Focus on one thing at a time

We understand that it can be hard to juggle your work with parenting, hence we suggest you focus on one thing at a time. In this way, your child will get your undivided attention and your work doesn’t get affected as well.

Talk about your feelings
The pandemic has created indescribable amounts of grief, loss, and devastation, leaving us to process incomparable amounts of stress. We’re sure there are many parents out there who are experiencing a similar wave of emotions as you. Sharing your feelings could be a great way to connect with others and also help you realise that you are not alone.

Keeping it positive
It’s difficult to stay positive when parenting is stressing us out. We frequently find ourselves saying, “Stop doing that!” or “Stop touching that.” Adopting a positive attitude here is very important. Children are more likely to listen to us when we give them positive instructions such as “Do this instead” or “I think you would rather enjoy this.”

Take a break!
Alot one hour of your day for self-care. This hour could be spent alone reading a book, cooking or listening to some music. It is very important to spend time with yourself in order to gather your emotions and calm your mind. Take that time off, you deserve it!

Anger is never a solution.
We all adore our kids but sometimes with the stress of the pandemic and various other reasons, we do tend to get angry. In such a case, take a 20 second cooldown or a couple of minutes to regain control over your emotions before reacting. This may seem difficult at first, but once you form a habit, you will realise how effective it is. Your behaviour will affect your child’s too, hence adopting a healthy way of coping with anger is necessary.

Remember, when things get hard, all your children need is you, not a perfect version of you. It is natural to feel this way and NFK is only here to help. Stay safe and stay strong.