Surviving Is Thriving

To parents wearing all the hats right now,

Take a deep breath.

You’re doing great.

In fact, you’re doing it all. You’re a wife, husband, mother, father, teacher, chef, maid, referee, gosh darn technical support. (?!)

Yes, there’s a lot of pressure right now to make sure your child is learning everything in school, eating healthily, understanding how to navigate emotions, and so on. But you should know that this period of time is very unlikely to make or break their quality of life if we manage our own emotions and LOVE HARD.

During a crisis, it is much more important to focus on playing, laughing, connecting daily and, above all, surviving.

Surviving is thriving. Here are three easy ways to keep that top of mind –

1.     Take care of yourself

Have you noticed that your child tends to push your buttons right when you’re feeling overwhelmed and on edge? That’s because children pick up on energy and can sense how you are feeling. If you are anxious, they too will start to feel stressed and may begin acting out of control.

Taking care of yourself impacts how you show up for your child. It is important to regulate your emotions so that you can co-regulate with your child. Start by practicing self-compassion and patience. This can look like taking a shower or engaging in some exercise while your child watches some TV.

2.     Know what is in your control

All you can do right now is to make the best of what is in your control and let go of what is not.

Try to find humor in what feels uncontrollable. Start by watching less news and seeking as much playfulness as you can.

3.     Put a pause on improvement

It is normal for children to regress during times of crisis. For example, if you were making progress with tantrums a month ago, expect them to return. It is one way for a child to express how they feel when words are difficult.

It is very important that your child feels like they can express emotions authentically, so start by validating their feelings first. You can always circle back to processing and improving their behavior later.