In the wake of the pandemic, it’s young people that often struggle the most to readjust to ‘normal’ life and find their way back to the routines, interests, and hobbies that they had before Covid.
If your young kids or teenagers are finding it difficult to readapt to everyday life, you’re not alone. More young people than ever before are accessing mental health support services following the pandemic, and many teens remain profoundly concerned about the impact that the periods of lockdown had – and may continue to have – on their education and the likelihood of gaining a place at the college or university of their choice.
There are ways to help your child if they’re anxious or stressed, as well as the self-help and home support options we discuss below; you may also want to consider signing up your child or suggesting a course of online therapy. This can be a valuable way of helping your child to process the events around coronavirus and the lockdowns, think and talk about their emotions, and come up with coping strategies to help ease the transition back to everyday life.
Overcoming Fear
For many people, a residual fear has remained, post-pandemic, about being out and about, especially in crowded spaces. This anxiety may present strongly, particularly in younger kids, who could have had difficulty fully understanding the nature and effects of covid and the subsequent vaccination program.
As we touched on above, if this fear is significant, and is having an impact on the everyday life of your child/family, then exploring therapy is an option, and it’s a good idea to discuss this with your healthcare provider.
There are other things you can do to help at home, too. Arranging a playdate with a couple of your child’s close friends is a good way to phase in socializing again. After playing at home for a little while, you could suggest a trip to a park at a time when it’s likely to be quiet. Build up exposure to busy places by initially, for example, visiting a mall and staying inside for just ten minutes. Return after a few days, and stay for twenty minutes, gradually building up tolerance until your child is comfortable.
Create a Relaxed Environment
The period of the pandemic, and the lockdowns, in particular, were extremely stressful, and kids experienced feelings of stress, anxiety, and uncertainty, too. As things get back to normal, it can be profoundly helpful to create as relaxed a home environment as possible, and to encourage your child, however old they are, to talk to you about their feelings, concerns, and thoughts. Make them aware that you’re there for them whenever they want to communicate – or just have a hug and sit quietly together for a time.
For younger kids, make plenty of time and space for them to play, rather than being tempted to load their diaries with tons of social events and group activities in a bid to squeeze in everything they missed out on during the pandemic. Free play is an important means by which children express and process their emotions.
Be Clear with Plans
The uncertainty of the pandemic years will have taken their toll, too: kids, especially, often need stable routines and knowing exactly what’s going to happen and when, to feel settled, calm, and confident.
It can help your child to readjust, as things continue to go back to normal, to be really clear about daily schedules and weekly plans to help them feel more grounded and secure. Consider pinning up a weekly family planner and explaining to your child that they can consult it to see what’s going to happen on any particular day. If things change, try to tell your child in good time if you can.
Healthy Habits
One of the best ways to help your child bounce back is by ensuring – as far as possible – that they are eating healthily, getting lots of exercises, and getting enough sleep at night. These simple things can have a huge impact on mood and, if your young person is struggling, can make a significant difference to how they feel.
Try to spend regular time together outdoors: whether this is for a weekend family hike, a summer evening stroll around the block, or a trip to the local open-air lido, having fun together whilst being physically active is both regenerative and nurturing and can help life feel normal and happy again.
Changing Routines
It’s also been challenging for many young people to get back into their pre-pandemic routines. The extended length of time that the country was in lockdown meant that lots of kids got used to a totally new routine, which may have involved less strict bedtimes, more screen time, or (for older kids) getting their home school work done in the evening rather than earlier in the day.
Renegotiating routines, and allowing for a period of transition, can help with this. If your child has been struggling, for example, with accepting a one-hour after-school screen time limit, when during the pandemic they may have watched tv on and off throughout the day, then gradually bringing things back into line can help. Reduce screen time by fifteen minutes every few days until you get where you want to be.
It’s also worth assessing old routines before fighting to reinstate them. Are there different ways of doing things, especially now that your child is a couple of years older than they were at the start of the pandemic? Could the routines you established in Covid teach the family anything positive about how to manage the things that each member of the family needs to do and when? A bit of creative, outside-the-box thinking can sometimes throw up the perfect solution.
If your child is having trouble finding their feet in the post-pandemic world, use the tips above to help them get back to the new normality. If you have any concerns about your child’s mental health, it is vital to see your medical practitioner as soon as possible, to access the support that both you and they need.
