It’s somehow March again, which means it’s been a full year since the Covid-19 pandemic altered our lives in ways we never imagined.
For most of us, it’s been a year of ups and downs with our mental health as we grappled with isolation, fear, anxiety and more. The same goes for mental health professionals.
“This past year has been a roller coaster,” said Rachel Thomasian, a licensed marriage and family therapist and owner of Playa Vista Counseling in Los Angeles. “There have been times where I felt like I was handling it fine and other times that I was feeling burnout, hopelessness and anxiety at rates I’ve never experienced before. One of the hardest parts of being a therapist during this time has been trying to help all my clients cope with the same crisis I am living through myself.”
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Learning to handle disagreements sets children up for success as they grow up.
In the era of remote learning and social distancing, children are missing out on opportunities to develop important interpersonal skills. The decline in socialization in 2020 means they’ve been getting less practice with problem-solving, communication and other types of social-emotional learning.
One particularly important skill that needs work: the art of disagreeing.
“When kids learn to disagree without resorting to an explosion or a tantrum, they develop crucial skills for having friendships that don’t fall apart and for being part of a creative team with peers on any projects, sports, leadership committees, or clubs that they want to join,” said Leonard Felder, a licensed psychologist and author of “We See It So Differently.”