Four compassionate tips to help working parents survive the pandemic

Trying to work at home with toddlers in the house can feel less like an office comedy and more

like one of those reality TV shows where you’re stuck on an island fending for yourself. If you’re

in need of a lifeline, Dr. Par’s Blog is filled with heartfelt and expertly written posts that can

provide some support and levity. You can also try using these practical lockdown survival tips.

You may have looked at this tip and laughed to yourself. After all, being productive and being a

parent while also being stuck inside the house for months is sure to add some stress to your life.

But you can reduce some of the negative effects of that stress by removing triggers for anxiety

and bad energy from your home. Stress triggers can include clutter and stagnant air.

If you’ve noticed more arguments and negativity in your home lately, these sources of bad

energy may be somewhat to blame. Set aside some time to go room by room and remove

clutter that’s causing more stress. Then, use a few cleaning tricks to tidy things up and finally,

open a window or two to bring some clean air into your home.

Now that you’ve set some boundaries around residual stress and bad energy in your home, it’s

time to put boundaries to work in your everyday routines. The best place to start is with yourself

and your family, and to establish set hours for work, breaks, and play. You can leave some flexibility

in your schedule for an unpredictable toddler, but try to guard your time from others.

This includes the people you work for and work with. Parents are dealing with so much during

the pandemic, so hopefully, your workplace will be accommodating. Don’t be afraid to ask for

more flexible work hours if that’s what you need to stay sane. Also, know your rights.

One other habit you should leave plenty of time for these days is self-care. Too many parents

think that self-care is selfish, or that they simply do not have time for it. The hard truth is,

however, everyone needs at least basic self-care to even survive — especially right now.

You can’t keep pouring time and energy when your cups are empty. Then again, added

responsibilities and time constraints can make fitting self-care into your day difficult. Rather than

try to work in major self-care moves, try smaller but effective practices. For example, you could

do a quick mediation in the morning or complete a few breathing exercises during breaks.

As a parent, you’re used to juggling so much at any single moment. So, it’s normal to think that

you can keep things under control even during a global pandemic. But it’s so important for you

to remember that most of us have never lived through such a stressful time before. We’re all

doing the best that we can to just get by, and you can only hope to do the same in your life.

Before you get down on yourself for not getting enough done, think about what you would say to

a friend in the same situation Chances are, you’d offer your loving support and understanding.

Self-compassion is all about extending the same level of grace to yourself, but kindness and

practicing empathy can also keep things calm with your family, friends, and others.

All of the tips above are useful for managing your household and mental health when you’re at

home with kids and also trying to work from home. Honestly, though, the last point could be

what’s most important. There’s so much pain, stress, and conflict in our world already right now,

and we could all use more compassion and kindness in order to start healing.

Dr. Par helps parents raise children to “become, men and women of character,” and “turn our

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