It’s safe to say there are untold millions of parents experiencing high levels of stress during the Covid-19 pandemic. We’re being bombarded with situations in which we fear we have little control: the safety of our families, job security, financial stability, life disruption, social isolation, the future impact of the crisis, and more.
Add families being stranded together in their homes with stress and anxiety, and a perfect storm may be created, leading to abusive interactions.
With school canceled, Naomi won’t get paid while she says at home with her three kids, something her family can’t afford. She’s worried about her husband, who works in a walk-in medical clinic, her grandparents in a nursing home, canceling their family reunion, the empty shelves at the grocery store, and her pounding headache.
The kids are feeling restless and bored. The 10-year-old is incessantly whining about not seeing her friends. The two-year-old is screaming because he knocked over the six-year old’s Legos and was given a shove, the dog starts barking, the phone starts ringing, and….Naomi feels she’s about to lose her cool.
If you can relate to this feeling, you’re not alone. Even when families are home-bound due to bad weather, parenting and abuse hotlines see a spike in calls. Although there isn’t an immediate solution for all the world’s concerns, there are quick steps you can take to make positive parenting decisions.
Naomi is human, and it’s perfectly normal as her anger rises for her to enter the “flight or fight” mode and think of her kids as the source of her problems. But she knows never to speak or act out in anger, and that her first response must be to calm down.
Naomi takes her own time out and a few deep breaths. She reminds herself there is no immediate emergency she must react to and begins deactivating her emergency mode. By concentrating on relaxing her tightened muscles, slowing her breathing, and making a conscious decision to take charge of her emotions, she can start making calm, positive adult choices.
“Social Isolation” doesn’t mean everyone for themselves. Now is an excellent time to reach out to a friend or someone else in your support group to stay connected and remember we’re all in this together.
If you’re feeling overwhelmed as a parent and need more support, the National Parent Hotline is there for you at 1-855-427-2736. It’s anonymous, non-judgmental, and the right thing to do.