How to cope with the stress of parenting in a pandemic
Updated / Wednesday, 27 Jan 2021
11:10
While we are parenting in a pandemic and the restrictions, it is also an opportunity to bond, build resilience and foster independence.
Niamh Delmar is a Counselling Psychologist and Mental Health Freelance writer. Here, she shares her advice for those coping with the stress of parenting in a pandemic.
I would like to be writing this from a position of calm and positive parenting while working, writing, cleaning, pseudo-teaching and a myriad of other tasks, but I can't. Some days flow, while others cave in.
Getting outdoors has been our familial antidote. While eustress (good stress) helps with motivation and performance, negative stress puts a strain on daily functioning, including parenting. Stress occurs when the demands of, and changes within, our environment exceed the resources we have to meet them.