Parents, You Got This. Here’s How Moms and Dads Can Find Peace While Parenting During COVID-19.
This back to school season feels very different than year’s past. The decision on what to do around schooling for children this fall has no doubt been difficult in the time of COVID-19. I certainly can relate.
I spent weeks debating whether or not I should send my daughter back to school. I read the statistics about coronavirus spread among kids. I analyzed data about cases in my community, on hospitalizations, on rates of infection. I asked parents and friends and bought masks and made pro and con lists and stayed up late at night thinking about the “what ifs”. And I made a decision as best I could. Then I doubted that decision 20 minutes after I dropped her off at school.
The start of the school year marks about seven months of Americans living with coronavirus. And moms and dads are worn out—rates of anxiety and depression are rising among parents (and children), and the start of the school year may kick off a new level of angst.
There are some tools--yoga and meditation being a few of them-- to help. Here are three things parents will need to helps us keep it together, and how yoga can help us find them:
--COMPASSION: We’re in the middle of a pandemic! These are unprecedented times. No one knows what’s going to happen. Not presidents, not doctors, not the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). No one. Not even you. So all you can do is go forth and go easy on yourself. You don’t have all the answers. You’re not supposed to have all of the answers because no one has all of the answers. Just like our yoga practice teaches us, be gentle with yourself. Lower your expectations to have it all together. Lead with love for yourself. As in yoga where just showing up to the mat is an effort worth recognition, give yourself credit for showing concern about your family’s health.
--RESILIENCE: Living through a pandemic is the ultimate test of our resilience, or the ability to bounce back after difficult situations. Change is the operative word when it comes to developing resilience. Remember that in these times, everything--like the CDC’s COVID-19 safety protocols--changes daily. Recognize change is inevitable, then stay adaptable to that change. Studies have shown exercise helps us stay more resilient in response to stress or challenges. Yoga teaches us to flow and bend and stay flexible, all things that help us deploy resilience in troubled times. Remember your practice, and try to flow and bend into each new scenario.
--REASSURANCE: Want to know if you’re doing the right thing? So long as you lead with your heart, you’ve done the right thing. Sounds fluffy, but listening to your gut when making decisions about school or socializing is the only way through these times. It’s tempting to watch the news, analyze data, call your friends and ask your mom, and call the other parents on the block to get advice. But they’re not you, and they’re not parenting your child. Tune out the noise and tune in to what you really feel. If that means sitting alone for a few minutes, or meditating (the Loving Kindness meditation is a great one to practice for peace of mind and good vibe towards loved ones.) or saying an affirmation that makes you feel grounded (I like repeating, “Let go and let it be.”). Then, make your decisions. Feel good about them. And know you could change your mind at any time because---back that whole resilience thing--everything changes anyway.
Take a breath. Listen to your heart. Move forward. Let go. That’s all you can do.
And, of course, wear a mask and wash your hands.
Below is the sweetest photo of Stephanie Smith and her daughter practicing Loving Kindness together!
