Asst. Prof.
BJB College
Children prosper when they feel safe and protected, when their family and friends are stable, and when their basic needs are met. The corona virus pandemic is disrupting nearly every aspect of children’s lives like their health, development, learning, behaviour, their families’ economic security, and their protection from violence and abuse.
But what about their mental health?
From reports, it is found, 99% of the world’s children are living under some form of limit on movement; 60% live in countries under full, or partial lockdowns and 1.5 billion children are out school. This is even worse for those children who rely on different school feeding programs for their only consistent daily meal.Fear, worry, stress, anxiety are normal responses to perceive, or real threats, and at times when we are faced with uncertainty or the unknown. So, it is normal and understandable that people are experiencing fear in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.
How can we support children’s mental health during this period of pandemic?
Parents, family members can help children:
Find different positive ways to express their fear and sadness through different creative activities like playing some innovative games or drawing
• Give children a safe and supportive environment
• Don’t separate the children from their parents and family members
• Stick into your family routines or create a new routine as the child is staying at home
• Encourage children to engage in age-appropriate activities
• Where possible encourages children to play and socialize with others, but with social contact restrictions
• If children have stress and anxiety, address them together may ease their anxiety
• Help children continue learning at home
• Though it may be normal that screen time increases during this period as schools have started online classes, it is important to consider reducing the amount of screen time.
• Most importantly if the parent is anxious, take some time to manage your own fears before starting a conversation or answering your child’s questions.
• If your child is overly focused on negative thoughts and outcomes, help them think in a more optimistic way. If still you are worried about your child’s mental health, call a mental health professional.
For any information you can contact us at contactus@heart2mind.com or +91-8595752152.
