LN – Quarantine: the challenges of the new family life

A little over a month ago,

with the arrival of COVID-19

to the country, the life of all Argentineans had an unforeseen turn: mandatory social distancing was declared and

families had no choice but to rearrange their routines

. Although this whirlwind brought more than one complication, there are psycho-emotional tools and tips that can help

endure

in the best way this

collective challenge

.

Be attentive to the emotions and needs of all the members of the house; reinforcing the communication that this, as it began, will end, and feeling that it is something that will be overcome together, are some of the recommendations of the specialists consulted by LA NACION. They are worth listening to.

How to prevent stress from taking over the house

Many people feel more

irascible and angry

, two emotions that according to the psychologist

Federica Otero

have to do with what is known as

stress

. What affective resources can be put into practice to keep the mental health of oneself and the whole family safe. The specialist provides

ten simple tools

. The first and, as he points out, fundamental is to become aware that “isolation is physical and not emotional; that it is transitory, not permanent, and to discern between what we cannot solve and what we can do.”

Why depression is very common

Uncomfortable, nervous, upset and depressed. The

restlessness due to absolute ignorance

of what is going to happen in the short and medium term, arouses many emotions with which perhaps we were not familiar. The first tip of

Nora Fontana

, psychologist, member of the Suicide Assistance Center (CAS) and the Encuentro Entre Padres Foundation, is to understand that when we cannot change a situation -as in this case- it is necessary

modify the attitude we take

before what happens to us. “It is time to use our own resources, to find ourselves alone with ourselves and to be able to say I can get ahead,” advises the psychologist.

The impact of confinement on the youngest: how to work on emotions

Classes suspended, inability to be with friends and family, sports activities on pause and changes in routines mark the new daily life of the youngest. Against this background, the psychologist

Maritchu Seitún

He explains that they can feel fear, sadness, miss and even get bored, but that also many will be happy and relieved. Emphasize that

the impact will depend a lot on the emotional state of the parents

and that “if we are calm, chances are they will be”, especially the younger ones, if we help them express their emotions.

Teleworking: keys to avoid becoming a nightmare

For thousands of men and women teleworking became a reality, but the present

is far from being that idyllic postcard of the home office

that many once dreamed of. To the own uncertainty of the pandemic, the suspension of classes of the children and the demand of the household chores are added. Therefore, the journalist’s first advice

Martina Rua

, specialized in technology and innovation, is taking into account the context and thinking that “we are going through a pandemic” and that, “in the middle, we are trying to work”. In addition, it provides a series of

tips to optimize time

, labor relations and autonomy, and thus ensure that work is not an extra burden.

The difficult task of entertaining children and also doing homework

“Patience, tolerance and above all not believing that the boys are wasting time or hours of classes. The boys are learning other things,

they are gaining in values

and recovering the playful capacity “, says the educational psychologist

Liliana gonzalez

. For her, one of the positive things about the quarantine is that the boys are playing with other things and even “it seems that they are getting tired of the screens, they are

invented new things

For this reason, among his advice, he assures that it is enough that “there is an adult who wants to accompany them in that game or open a game so that they can follow later.”

Without school and more time together, what can we learn as a family

What things can we learn at home in timeshare? The renowned Italian educational psychologist,

Francesco Tonucci

, there is no doubt: quarantine can be a unique opportunity for children and their families. How to make the most of compulsory isolation and turn it into an enriching pedagogical experience? The answer, for Tonucci, is simple:

turn the house into a “laboratory”

where parents are teachers’ assistants and where every space, from the kitchen to an old photo drawer, becomes the opportunity to learn something new. And he makes a proposal, almost a plea: “that it be read”, that there be shared readings to transmit the

love for books

.

How can we do not to miss the affections

Are there ways to be

closer to loved ones

whom we cannot hug or visit because of the quarantine? Is it possible to give a hug from a distance? The psychologist

Matías Muñoz

, among other tips, proposes to do an exercise to get closer to those people “with whom we

we connect emotionally

“but they are not close by quarantine. Step by step, explain how to do a” validation. “Something very simple: it is about thinking about them and their strengths, to generate an affective connection and a bond of greater growth.

Adolescents and quarantine: why is it so difficult to connect?

Due to the characteristics of their age, they are one of the groups that find it most difficult to accompany the new routines of quarantined houses. The doctor

Enrique Berner

, a specialist in pediatrics and adolescence, head of the Argerich Adolescence service, advises families to establish

a new intra-family coexistence contract

: From how meals and home activities are going to be organized, to free time. However, he is emphatic: “We have to give them their

weather

and his

space

, be more

flexible

With the schedules, we cannot put strict schedules on them; you have to help them organize their own agenda. ”