Give Yourself Grace
Be realistic, give yourself grace. Caregiving is one of the most challenging roles even under regular circumstances. You do not need to be everything to everyone, and there will be times you feel overwhelmed. Try to take a step back and focus on the big picture. You are doing your best and your best may be different day to day, or even minute by minute. There may be times when the best you can do is turn on a cartoon, or let the kids have screen time, so you can take a bath. It’s ok.
You do not need to have all the answers or fix things for everyone. Just because kids are out of school doesn’t mean you need to become their teacher, there will be plans in place to support in catching your child up academically. Sure it’s great if you can bring some education into their daily routine, but you don’t need to start a home-school program. This will get figured out, and we will make the best plans we can with the information we have at any given time.
The most important thing you can do is take care of yourself, so you can better take care of others. Children are like sponges- they will pick up whatever you are sending out, this includes emotionally. If you are anxious, children may notice, and this can impact how they are doing. It is a high anxiety time, you are likely going to be experiencing emotion. This is ok, we can model how we manage these intense spaces for our children and normalize these feelings as well as what we can do to feel better. Overall, it’s important we try to stay positive. Make time for yourself! You may want to integrate some downtime for everyone, where everybody has some time away from one another. Many of the recommendations provided in the posts for children and teens also apply to you.
Ask For Help
You don’t have to do this alone. Ask for help when you need it. Whether with tasks around the house or just getting a break. Know that our team at Covenant Family Solutions are here for you. We continue to be able to provide mental health therapy services and are able to connect with you via telehealth.
Are you new to therapy? We are now offering free 30-minute phone coaching sessions and can support you in setting up additional services if needed. Even though many of us are at home, therapy is still available. There may be no better time than now to have a professional and compassionate provider to be there for you and your family.
