Since the Covid-19 Pandemic, we parents are being asked to do so much for our children and our paid jobs, and other duties that it can feel exhausting and chaotic to even exist right now! There is no expectation that things will feel perfect right now, but we can put in place some mental health care strategies to support our children and ourselves in these difficult moments at home.

6 Survival Tips for Highly Sensitive Parents

1. Do mindful check-ins about basic needs : Ask yourself “what do I really need right now?” ask the same question about your child “what do they really need right now?”Start with basic needs: do you or your child need to move your bodies? Need to get silly? Eat a snack? Draw a picture of how you’re feeling? Take a time-out to reset (parents, this includes YOU!). 

2.  Use H.A.LT. If they are whining about screen time, refusing to do school, or melting down, use HALT: Am I Hungry, Angry, Lonely or Tired?? 

3. Your Living Space Matters: reconsider doing your zoom meetings at the kitchen table, where your kids might have a hard time understanding that you are “at work” If you don’t have a home office, create a corner for yourself so your children have a visual cue that you are “at work” and “currently not a playmate or fetcher-of-snacks/other items”

4. Celebrate Individual Differences: does your kiddo need to stand while engaging in classwork? Do they work better outdoors? Brain breaks every 20 minutes? Do you prefer silence, or background noise like an audiobook or music? If you tend to feel anxious without predictability, do you need a visual schedule or a verbal check-in about the day’s expectations? 

5. Understand Your Mental Health and the Brain-Body Connection! When the world changes and things are uncertain, our brains and bodies are affected! You might be feeling off, anxious, jittery, or foggy. Your children might be irritable or downright defiant. Reach out to me directly or visit www.rebekahsprings.com to learn more about how to feel better.

6. Trust Your Intuition: be gentle and compassionate with yourself and your family during this time.