How to Stay Calm during the Coronavirus Crisis
Hi Mommies,
We know how challenging cold and flu season has been while we try and keep families healthy and now we have Coronavirus to deal with.
The most challenging part is the unknown and the lack of information, which is causing the world to panic. I wanted to share some pieces of important information which may help you be prepared to better handle this situation.
First, I’d like to point you to a blog that I wrote last year and revised earlier this year about flu season/respiratory issues. Give it a read and please feel free to comment with ideas you may have.
Related Post: Flu Season - What Now?
Next, be mindful of yourself and your families.
As parents, we don’t want to cause our children extra worry or anxiety. My 7 year old has been asking worried questions about the Corona virus. I asked him how he knew about it and he told me that the kids were talking about it at school. My husband and I sat down with him and our other children and told them what we always tell them during the winter…wash your hands, don’t touch your face or mouth and try to stay away from people if they are sick or coughing.
We have dealt with a lot of respiratory issues over the last few years and there can be many tense, stressful moments when you are listening to your children breathe when they are sick. Most importantly, changes in breathing happen VERY quickly sometimes. A doctor my hear one thing in the morning, but by night, the entire picture has changed. If you notice changes, call your doctor immediately.
As a mom, trust your instinct! If your child has had respiratory issues in the past, I would also talk to your doctor to see if they have any ideas to better prepare. I would make sure I had the nebulizer and any inhalers ready with a supply of medicine on hand.
If you are stressed and worried or anxious, it will make the situation worse for yourself and your children. The kids take their cues from you. When I am feeling stressed, I stop what I’m doing and take 5 deep breaths. I also try not to talk in too much detail about things that may scare them. Yes, it’s important they know how to protect themselves, but I don’t want to bombard them with information they don’t need to know. Ultimately, you as the parents are the ones who know your children best, so what you tell them is up to you.
Finally, something that has been a huge help to our family has been to keep a calendar journal just for health issues. I write down when symptoms start, such as a cough or fever and then track how they progress. In a situation like this, it will be very helpful for you to have this because if you are at the doctor or hospital, you can give them an exact picture of what’s going on rather than guessing off the top of your head. If it’s an especially high stress situation, you may forget to mention something important. It’s also a good idea to write other important medical events for each person in your family in the journal, such as previous surgeries, hospitalizations and issues that have occurred in past years. I would do this for every family member. If you have elderly parents, I would suggest helping them with this exercise as well. I can tell you from experience that it helps.
If you have any other comments, thoughts, or ideas, please feel free to comment below. I feel like this piece is a dynamic work in progress. We are here to help each other. Stay calm and stay strong.
xx MommieMix