Our Mindset Matters
Hello families of Wellington Counseling Group
As we head into the second week of living homebound, I hope that you and your loved ones are all in good health and good spirits. This past week presented a huge adjustment for families in balancing working from home with childcare and for many, the steep new learning curve brought to our lives by distance education. Perhaps you learned new things about yourself and your family’s capacity to be together during challenging times. Personally, if I ever was curious about homeschooling my children, that curiosity quickly evaporated after about an hour (just kidding, more like five seconds!). While much of the daily freedoms we used to take for granted are currently restricted, it is important to remember the things that do remain within our control, and our mindset and behaviors belong at the top of the list.
Mindset Matters
~How we frame the current situation in our minds will truly influence how we feel about it and what we model to children.
Stay Connected (that’s an order)
~Find ways to stay connected with friends, family, and co-workers daily , whether through Skype, Facetime, Marco Polo, texts or an old-fashioned phone call. Parents and kids alike NEED the virtual connection for a sense of normalcy and access to friends and support networks.
Overload the self-care
~Find some way to stay active and engage in self-care whether it be through exercise, meditation, reading, playing or using the time inside to explore a new hobby. I have been amazed by the generosity of local gyms and nationwide yoga studios that are offering free, on-demand fitness programs.
Take good care of yourselves and loved ones. We will continue seeing you online until we can see you again at the office!
Allison Lobel, Psy.D.
Director of Child & Adolescent Services
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Three great free daily activities to keep kids engaged
- Have kids conduct a virtual interview with an older friend or relative. This pandemic is truly about thinking beyond ourselves, and interviews are a great way to learn about others and to pick up new insights while building empathy. Have your kids come up with 5-10 questions to ask a grandparent to learn more about his/her childhood, career and interests. This kind of interaction can help buoy the morale of both parties while increasing your child’s EQ (aka emotional intelligence).
- Show random acts of kindness to family members. To my surprise at dinner one night, my daughters set the table with these homemade, origami gift boxes. Inside each box were additional surprises, including a bracelet, stickers and handwritten messages with inspiring phrases.
- Create colorful murals to hang on your walls. All your kids need is paper, crayons/colored pencils and a prompt to get started, such as: an amusement park; beach scene, space scene; fancy cakes; family portrait.