Lock down’s impact on family’s emotional health.

The world, in the lock down phase has probably become slower for everyone . Not to forget to mention, there is no rush to catch that first bus or train to work. After all there is also no rush of sending kids to school. Another key point is, that our spheres of life, lack the urge to out do each other. Additionally, this slow pace of life seems like solidarity to us. However, for some it’s their space of solitude. It is certain that, even though we have all the positivism and the motivation around us to stay safe. While we are locked indoors, we are trying to grab onto our sanity. It cannot be denied that there is definitely unrest around us and within us.

These times of lock down are not just challenging for me and you. They are challenging for all generations across. All of us who are indoors, are generally counting our blessings and are thankful. We are grateful to be able to accomplish our daily tasks and goals with a smile on our faces.

The world overall is still figuring out many ways to bounce back once the lock down is lifted. We indeed hopeful towards our lives going back to normal once the lock down is taken off. I wonder if, particularly a lot depends on people’s behavior.  People’s behavior is what impacted the most across all cohorts.

Parents

The chores for us parents have doubled in the lock down. The time on our hands however still remains the same. Right from taking care of their kids, to taking care of the home chores. Along with meeting the deadlines,we are trying our best to fit everything in the 24 hour schedule. To me it seems like balancing yourself on one foot and ensuring you stay like that while accomplishing every task. I am assuming as parents we have accepted this lock down situation with a pinch of salt. It is significant to accept our tiny failures without any parental guilt.

Kids

I strongly believe that this situation is harder for kids than it is for anyone. Kids are bound to their homes and their activities are restricted. In this lock down phase, their schools are shut. Additionally their interactions with friends is only limited to the digital space. I think its vital, to keep talking to our kids about why there are changes in the normalcy of life. We surely want our kids to learn something new in this phase. We want their schedules to stay constant but a small change here and there should be made acceptable for them. Let them learn and explore on their own with a little guidance from you.

Elders and Senior Citizens

The life has come to standstill for them as well. The seniors are used to moving around and getting chores done all the time. Surely this lock down is undeniably challenging for them. Elders are the most susceptible to the virus and they are the ones who need to exercise more caution. As a family, we can keep them involved in chores that keep them busy. For example, playing with the kids, practicing a hobby etc.

Our four legged friends

For all of us who have pets understand the fun and importance of them being outdoors. Their outdoor walks are restricted and their play time has shortened. You need to make certain that you spend good enough time with them indoors. Pet them, play with them and may be even play some music for them. You can read about how music can be therapeutic for pets, here

While we are all trying to jumble all our skills at one go, we also need to understand that stretching ourselves more than we should could lead to exhaustion too. Let us not feel helpless in the current light of this situation and use our biggest tool of communication to support each other.