Tips for Easing Children’s Anxiety About the Coronavirus

During these difficult times with the coronavirus, closed schools, and the Stay at Home Order, many of our NHA students are having a great deal of anxiety, depression, and emotional concerns.

Here are a few tips for easing your children’ s anxiety about the coronavirus:

1. Get the facts about the virus, and talk with your children about it.
2. Ask them what they already know about it and what scares them about it.
3. Share that it is OK to be anxious and scared but that we are doing everything that we can as a family, school, and country to keep them safe.
4. Turn off the television and computers, and spend time together.  Media overload may add to rather than reduce children’s anxiety.
5. With school closed, establish a new home routine to help them regain a sense of control (Wake up, get dressed, brush teeth, eat breakfast, go to a designated spot in the house for schoolwork, take a walk, finish schoolwork, eat lunch, etc.).  Maintain a consistent bedtime and wake up time.
6. Eat healthy, and get enough sleep and exercise.
7. Encourage children to do something they enjoy as a stress break or to cope with an anxiety attack.
8. Help them to stay connected with their teacher, para, and classmates through google classes, phone calls, and teleconferences through Skype, Zoom, Facetime, or Google Meet, Hangout, or Class.
9. Help them write letters to family or friends, so they can look forward to getting the mail every day.
10. Stay positive.  Talk about all the things people are doing together to help each other and to stay healthy.

If they are still having trouble talking to you or you don’t know what to say or do, please encourage them to reach out to someone whether that is their mental health counselor through a teleconference, a social worker over the phone, or the Teen Line website.