My anxiety is at an all-time high. Concerns about the elderly, the stock market, the immunocompromised, schooling, job security, local businesses, the poor, vacation plans, toilet paper, paper towels, hand sanitizer, and health mount, and my face itches! If we are feeling stressed, we know that our children are stressed as well. They see fear on our faces and in our actions. They may also feel confused because, at this writing, our local community seems scarcely touched by hard evidence of the novel Coronavirus. We in North Carolina are experiencing the calm before the storm. Some stores are packed; families and friends are enjoying fresh air and strolls as if on vacation; parking lots are full. Right now, the hype seems overblown, yet, deep down, we know that the virus is lurking just beneath the surface. We know that we should heed the call to isolate and to learn from our global neighbors.
For a generation of well-traveled children and for adults whose lives and calendars are perpetually full, the idea of isolating at home and of too many home-cooked meals may spark paranoia and claustrophobia. In pursuit of therapy, I am here to offer a few silver linings that come with our prison sentence.
· The reduction in traffic during our isolation will reduce air pollution and carbon emissions. China reported significant improvements in air quality during the first quarter of the year.
· Cleanliness is “going viral.” Many more people are washing their hands and their surfaces frequently.
· We are being forced to slow down and to connect as a family and as a community.
· We are hopefully becoming more generous and empathetic.
· The political lines of divisiveness are growing fuzzier as we fight in solidarity against this new common enemy.
· #coronakindness
I am not naïve. I know that the list of disadvantages is already and will be longer than my budding list of attributes; however, while more misfortunes are looming, focusing on some of these positive benefits instead can help to quell anxiety.
Like us, our children will also be adapting to a new normal for a few weeks (at least). We can help their transition by providing structure. We must not allow our confinement to become a staycation. Streaming, gaming, and sleeping should be limited to a consistent schedule. Studying, schoolwork (even if working ahead), and chores should be programmed and regimented; skills will be lost otherwise. Sunshine, play, and social contact with the family and beyond, as appropriate, are essential to maintaining mental health. Our healthy children absolutely should not isolate themselves inside our own homes for hours and hours.
In short, let’s not be all doom and gloom, nor should we paint a falsely rosy picture; however, we must seek and find the silver linings in this very unique shared experience in our lifetime.
In step with our new normal, Arbor Road Academy is now offering classes by FaceTime and Google Hangout to hone and develop math and writing skills, to coach and assist with online coursework, and to prepare for standardized testing.