![\"Parent](\"https:\/\/mommybites.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/05\/Woman-Struggling-with-work.jpg\" "\\"Anxiety,")
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Now more than ever, taking care of your mental health as a parent is crucial. Parents are juggling working from home, homeschooling the kids,\u00a0managing kids\u2019 mental health<\/a>, and trying to figure out their own during social distancing\u2014and all of that adds up to an increase in negative feelings that can be breathtaking. Whether you\u2019ve experienced challenges like depression and anxiety in the past or this situation is bringing feelings up for the first time, there are ways you can manage your mental health right now. Julie Morison, Ph.D., a licensed psychologist operating at\u00a0HPA\/LiveWell\u00a0in Albany, and Sanam Hafeez, Ph.D., the founder of\u00a0Comprehensive Consultation Psychological Services, P.C.,\u00a0share their tips on managing your feelings, getting professional help, and remembering the little things that can make you happier right now.<\/p>\n Your kids need to be homeschooled, you need to complete work projects<\/a> from your kitchen table, you need to cook dinner for the eighth night this week, and another mom on social media has posted a perfect-looking snap of her homeschooling setup. Sound familiar? Dr. Morison and Dr. Hafeez point out that parents are facing completely new stressors right now, and it\u2019s normal to feel overwhelmed<\/a>\u2014especially given that New York might be past the peak of infection, but we have no idea when this is going to end. Anticipatory anxiety is high. There can be guilt around not giving your kids or your job 100 percent of what they need.<\/p>\n One effective thing to do is remember you\u2019re modeling balance for your kids, Dr. Morison says. If you need to hop on a Zoom conference call but your daughter needs help with a\u00a0math problem<\/a>, tell her you\u2019ll tackle it together after your call.<\/p>\n \u201cShow [your kids] they need to be resilient and try things independently,\u201d Dr. Morison says. \u201dSay, \u2018I\u2019m in a meeting now, give [this a shot].\u2019 Let kids have some responsibilities and feel okay about that. Give yourself permission to still be an employee.\u201d<\/p>\n Create a schedule the whole family can follow so everyone knows where they need to be during the day, and prioritize your priorities.<\/p>\n Right now parents are also struggling with their normal reassurances\u2014for their kids and for their own parents. When you\u2019re the one who usually tells everyone else it\u2019s going to be okay, and right now you don\u2019t know if it will be, that can be very difficult, Morison says.<\/p>\n \u201cUse\u00a0the facts<\/a>,\u201d she says. \u201cBe able to say, this is what I\u2019m afraid of, but this is what I know. And the difference between possible and probable. Is it possible that you\u2019ll get coronavirus? Yes. Is it probable?<\/p>\n \u201cIn the moments where you feel like you\u2019re being taken over by emotions, access the facts,\u201d she continues. \u201cDo this with your kids. Talking to kids so that your best coping skills are shared with them is good. Speak to your anxiety, don\u2019t avoid it.\u201d<\/p>\n Read Next | This is How to Choose the Right Nanny Mental health professionals have seen an increase in patients experiencing anxiety, hopelessness, and depression, Dr. Morison says, because coronavirus has \u201cattacked every aspect of our lives\u201d and we don\u2019t know what\u2019s coming next. For parents who already live with depression and anxiety, she encourages continuing with treatment and medication.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is not the time to say you\u2019re not going to the pharmacy to get your medication because it\u2019s too risky,\u201d she says. \u201cIt\u2019s riskier to not fulfill prescriptions. Make sure the things you did before to manage your mental health, you do now as well.\u201d<\/p>\n Dr. Hafeez discusses how negative feelings can snowball when parents worry about their children seeing their mental health symptoms.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you\u2019re a parent with limited resources, multiple children, you are struggling financially, if you have a propensity for mental health issues, all of that is coming to ahead. Darker tendencies are emerging at this time,\u201d she says. \u201cWhen you have children and you have personal responsibilities, that takes on a whole new meaning. There are guilt and pressure about what you might be exposing your children to, how you might feel that you\u2019re not showing up to be the best parent you can.\u201d<\/p>\n Jacqueline Neber<\/strong> is an assistant editor and a graduate of The Writing Seminars at Johns Hopkins University. When she’s not focused on writing special needs and education features, you can find her petting someone else’s dog.<\/em><\/p>\n Like what you read? JOIN the Mommybites community<\/a> to get the latest on\u00a0FREE online classes<\/a>,\u00a0parenting advice<\/a>,\u00a0events<\/a>,\u00a0childcare listings<\/a>,\u00a0casting calls<\/a>\u00a0&\u00a0raffles,<\/a>\u00a0and our\u00a0Parents With Nannies Facebook group<\/a>. SIGN UP NOW<\/a>!\u00a0<\/strong><\/em>“<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Now more than ever, taking care of your mental health as a parent is crucial. Parents are juggling working from home, homeschooling the kids,\u00a0managing kids\u2019 mental health, and trying to figure out their own during social distancing\u2014and all of that adds up to an increase in negative feelings that can be breathtaking. Here are some tips on managing your feelings, getting professional help, and remembering the little things that can make you happier right now.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5394,"featured_media":29248,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"schneps_byline":"","schneps_post_style":"","schneps_post_source":"","schneps_syndicated_read_more":"","schneps_post_source_sitename":"","schneps_post_source_shortname":"","schneps_post_source_url":"","schneps_post_source_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[45,51],"tags":[44,53],"class_list":["post-29247","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-moms","category-dads","tag-education","tag-health"],"acf":[],"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","canonical_url":"https:\/\/mommybites.com\/newyork\/how-parents-can-manage-their-mental-health-during-quarantine\/","smart_links":{"inbound":0,"outbound":0},"traffic_boost_suggestions_count":0,"meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"How Parents Can Manage Their Mental Health During Quarantine","url":"http:\/\/mommybites.com\/newyork\/how-parents-can-manage-their-mental-health-during-quarantine\/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"http:\/\/mommybites.com\/newyork\/how-parents-can-manage-their-mental-health-during-quarantine\/"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/mommybites.com\/newyork\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/05\/Woman-Struggling-with-work.jpg?w=150&h=150&crop=1","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/mommybites.com\/newyork\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/05\/Woman-Struggling-with-work.jpg"},"articleSection":"Moms","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Jacqueline Neber"}],"creator":["Jacqueline Neber"],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Mommybites New York","logo":""},"keywords":["education","health"],"dateCreated":"2020-05-11T14:00:52Z","datePublished":"2020-05-11T14:00:52Z","dateModified":"2020-05-12T18:32:55Z"},"rendered":"It\u2019s normal to struggle with mental health (especially now!).<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\n<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\nIf you\u2019re already coping with mental health challenges, continue with treatment.<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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\nRead Next | Self-Care for Moms with Anxiety<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n
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