By Trish Pannuto
With all of the news about the Coronavirus, the turbulent stock market, and the ongoing presidential primaries, it’s not surprising that many of us are feeling just a wee-bit stressed. Over the years, when parenting in stressful times, I found myself pondering, “When did I become the adult here? Can I give back the keys to the car?” Alas, there is no putting that genie back in the bottle!
Whether your child is 2, 12, or 24, they’ll be looking to you, the keeper of the keys, to see how you’re reacting, responding, and coping. They’re watching us all the time, what would we like to model?
It’s hard to reassure our kids when we’re feeling anxious ourselves. How do we keep ourselves grounded? One approach that has worked for me is to focus on what I can control and to work hard at letting go of the rest. I’ve found great peace of mind being able to say to myself, “I’ve done everything I can right now.” The ideas listed below aren’t new or novel; most are common sense and revolve around the notion of taking care of ourselves.
Did I need to include “Wash your hands” in this list? I bet not! What would you add; what has helped you stay grounded during times of distress?
Parent Encouragement Program
10100 Connecticut Ave.
Kensington, MD 20895
301-929-8824
office@PEPparent.org
Apart from the free survey software, we also have access to QuestionPro's free survey templates . We've found many of them useful and powerful to collect insights from various stakeholders of our organization.