Are parents so stressed that their children are working from home and classes are suspended due to the epidemic? Therapist teaches 2 tricks to adjust body and mind
Feeling lonely and lacking support, are parents prone to physical and mental symptoms during the epidemic?
As the epidemic heats up, parents across Taiwan are faced with a dilemma between work and family. What signs should we pay attention to when they appear to be in good physical and mental condition? Su Ziyin, director of Aineng Occupational Therapy Center, said in an interview that under the dual pressure of parents being busy with work and taking care of children, physiological conditions that are more easily noticed include: easy fatigue, lack of energy, gastrointestinal discomfort, breathlessness, insomnia, headache, muscle Symptoms such as tightness.
In terms of psychological pressure, due to remote work and distance teaching, parents and teachers may feel anxious due to loneliness and lack of support. Therapist Su Ziyin pointed out that many parents and teachers have reported that during the epidemic, they worked at home and had to take care of their children at the same time. The time spent together between parents and children has become longer, which not only increases anxiety and depression, but also makes it difficult to control tempers.
Parents who are overly worried about the epidemic may make their children more anxious
As the media continues to report, parents are overly worried about their children contracting the epidemic. Might it also have a negative impact on their children? Therapist Su Ziyin said that children’s emotions are easily affected by their parents. Children can feel adults’ worries about the epidemic even if they are not expressed verbally. However, they cannot fully understand the epidemic. They only accept negative feelings but do not know how to deal with them. Anxiety may be more than twice as high as for parents.
Therapist Su Ziyin pointed out that children’s cerebral cortex is not yet mature, and unlike adults, they do not have channels such as video streaming and online shopping to adjust to stress. It is easy to have mood swings when anxiety rises, or to worry about whether you are infected with the virus, and symptoms such as coughing and runny nose will be more serious than the actual situation. Their hearts are often more sensitive than their parents think, and children aged 3 or 4 may suffer from similar situations.
The key to adjusting parent-child dynamics is for parents to redesign their schedules
How to adjust to the pressure of parent-child interaction during the epidemic? Therapist Su Ziyin suggests that parents should consciously adjust their lifestyle, try to schedule 3-4 20- to 30-minute rest periods every day, intentionally put reading, exercise, and listening to music into the schedule, and redesign themselves. A work and rest schedule can help relieve and mediate physical and mental stress.
In addition, parents and children can set aside 15 minutes of “quality time” every day to accompany each other wholeheartedly and stabilize the dynamic between each other. Many parents only provide 3C products or electric toys to their children while doing things by themselves. Therapist Su Ziyin said that this kind of companionship does not help stabilize the parent-child dynamic. You can do static or dynamic activities together, such as reading, playing with blocks, and playing with balls. When parents and children focus on each other, it is “quality time.”
Therapist Su Ziyin explained that there is a so-called “group dynamic” when people get along with each other, which is a sense of security and dependence between parents and children. During the epidemic, parents and children spend more time together, and there are more opportunities for conflict, which can easily lead to disordered motivation between parents and children, causing mutual anxiety. However, quality interaction time can focus attention on each other and stabilize the motivation quickly. Come down.
Set Off Hour time for yourself to properly separate work and rest
During the epidemic, parents are faced with changes in their workplace and family lifestyles. Therapist Su Ziyin reminds that most people are used to just putting work on their to-do list. If you find that your physical, mental and mental state is not stable enough, it is best to consciously adjust your work and rest schedule, or set an “Off Hour” time. For example, you will no longer respond to or handle official matters after 8 p.m., so that work and rest can be appropriately divided and reduce excessiveness. The effects of stress on the mind and body.
Therapist Su Ziyin pointed out that most children’s behavior is the projection and result of their parents, in order to gain their attention and concern. When parents pay too much attention to the epidemic and disinfection, the children will also show excessive worry. It is recommended that parents explain to their children the importance of washing hands and wearing masks during the epidemic, but they do not need to overemphasize or express worries about the epidemic, which can help children stabilize.
When children use 3C, they should pay attention to scheduling diverse activities to increase their concentration.
Making good use of tools and improving the diversity of interactions between parents and children is also a way for parents to start. Therapist Su Ziyin reminds that 3C products have been included in the curriculum and become learning tools. Parents should not only pay attention to the time of 3C use by their children to avoid addiction. , you can also arrange operational and practice activities, such as reading and drawing, to help children improve their attention.
Therapist Su Ziyin said that 3C products will affect children’s vision, perception and even copying abilities. In addition to paying attention to children’s usage time, it is recommended that children use 3C products for searching, interactive games, etc. rather than simply receiving information such as watching videos and animations. Activities allow children to think together when using 3C products, instead of just receiving visual and auditory stimulation.
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