Support your child
- Take time to talk with your child or teen about the COVID-19 pandemic. Answer questions honestly and share facts in a way your child can understand.
- Reassure your child that they are safe. Let them know it is okay if they feel upset. Share with them how you are dealing with your own stress and help them learn coping skills from you.
- Limit your family's exposure to news coverage of the pandemic. This includes social media. If your child has social media accounts, take the opportunity to discuss setting boundaries and taking breaks from it.
- Children may misunderstand or misinterpret what the see or hear about the pandemic. This often causes fear, which they express in different ways (i.e., acting out, extreme worry).
- Try to keep or create a daily routine. It does not have to be a "full-schedule" day, but encouraging regular wake-up times, getting dressed, play time, school time, etc. helps create a sense of normalcy.
- Be a role model. Take breaks, get plenty of sleep, exercise, and eat well. Connect with your friends, family members, and support network.
Keep in mind
Children and teens react, in part, to what they see the adults around them doing. Calm and confident adults can provide strong support to their children. Staying informed from reputable sources allows adults be prepared and reassuring their children.
Not all children and teens respond to stress the same way. Some common changes to watch for include:
- Excessive crying or irritation in younger children
- Returning to behaviors they have outgrown (e.g toilet accidents, bedwetting)
- Excessive worry or sadness
- Unhealthy eating or sleeping habits
- Irritability and “acting out” behaviors in teens
- Poor school performance or avoiding school
- Difficulty with attention and concentration
- Avoidance of activities enjoyed in the past
- Unexplained headaches or body pain
- Use of alcohol, tobacco, or other drugs
CDC resources on helping children cope with disasters
Burnout and Secondary Traumatic Stress (STS)
Responding to COVID-19 can take a emotional toll on Healthcare Workers, First Responders, and other professionals. There are things you can do to reduce burnout and STS reactions:
- Acknowledge that burnout and STS can impact you while working during a major event, such as a pandemic.
- Learn the signs and symptoms, including physical and mental.
- Allow time for you and your family to recover from responding.
- Create a list of self-care activities you enjoy, such as spending time with people you care about (virtually unless you live with them), reading books, gardening, etc.
- Take a break from media coverage of COVID-19.
- Ask for help if you feel overwhelmed or concerned that COVID-19 is affecting your ability to care for your family and patients as you did before the pandemic.
If you have been in isolation
Being separated from others if a healthcare provider thinks you may have been exposed to COVID-19 can be stressful, even if you do not get sick. Everyone feels differently after coming out of quarantine. Some feelings include:
- Mixed emotions, including relief after quarantine
- Fear and worry about your own health and the health of your loved ones
- Stress from the experience of monitoring yourself or being monitored by others for signs and symptoms of COVID-19
- Sadness, anger, or frustration because friends or loved ones have unfounded fears of contracting the disease from contact with you, even though you have been determined not to be contagious
- Guilt about not being able to perform normal work or parenting duties during quarantine
- Other emotional or mental health changes
Children may also feel upset or have other strong emotions if they, or someone they know, has been released from quarantine. You can
help your child cope.