Keeping Calm Through Crisis

We feel you! This is a crazy time for everyone. We are all experiencing life changes that we never thought we would encounter and it’s taking a major toll on all of us, including our kiddos! Here are a few tips that might help remain calm through the chaos.

1. So often when faced with a problem, our worried minds go straight to the negative thoughts which lead to greater feelings of worry and anxiety. WE have the power to change our thought process! It’s hard, but by remembering more positive thoughts, we can help maintain more positive feelings. Take a look at this simple chart:
Of course, it’s not always that easy to change our thought processes. The more practice we give ourselves to have more positive thoughts, the easier it naturally becomes!

2. “Why can’t I leave the house?”, “When can Johnny come over to play?”, “When will I go back to school?”, “Why do you keep making me wash my hands and put on a mask?”. Our kids have SO many questions they are asking us right now and sometimes it’s hard to know how to respond. Try your best to offer honest answers, but comforting them that we will be okay. Use a calm voice and let them tell you their fears. And if you do not know the answer, research it together! Take a look at this article for more insight on these strategies: https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/coronavirus-how-talk-child.html

 

3. Practice building confidence and helping your child learn to pay attention to their feelings. The more we understand how we feel about problems, the better we become at understanding what to do to help ourselves feel better. This is an awesome, free program that has multiple activities and learning tools to help develop some self-confidence and emotion building skills. It might be fun to try while you’re stuck at home with your child! https://dreamchasers.org/free/

Hang in there through this strange time. Model these strategies for your kiddos – they need your comfort and guidance more now than ever! And, of course, reach out to your therapists if you need any additional support.
This book is really insightful on building emotional intelligence in children: https://www.amazon.com/Permission-Feel-Unlocking-Emotions-Ourselves/dp/B07THD9LRV/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1CM4FVFVESA31&dchild=1&keywords=permission+to+feel&qid=1588090405&sprefix=permission%2Caps%2C186&sr=8-1

 

For more information, please visit http://www.abcpediatrictherapy.com