Home school survival

Some people are at breaking point - it can be a huge strain for those who are juggling working from home and home-schooling children. There are a lot of articles with advice on homeschooling.  I wanted to share my knowledge of the latest in neuroscience and how we can manage stress in a more positive way.  

Have realistic expectations 

Your job as a parent is not to recreate school but to do what you can to support your children with their remote learning. There has been a lot of change for all of us and this can often lead to challenging behaviour from your child - which obviously doesn’t help your stress levels. 

Is it the situation or your expectations of yourself and your family that are causing the stress? Accepting that this might be a stressful period can help to adjust your priorities and adapt the usual standards you hold yourself to. 

Complete the stress cycle

Stress is a signal for our brain that we’re in a moment of crisis. This signal releases adrenaline and cortisol, speeds up our heart rate and breathing and we go into the fight, flight or freeze response. This is the perfect reaction if we’re in physical danger but not so much if we’re at home with the kids during lockdown. 

When we’re stressed we need to complete the cycle with the calming down phase in order to send the message to our brains that the moment of crisis has passed. Stress is supposed to be a short term response and can really affect our quality of life when it’s over a long period. 

Quick ways to calm down (for you and the kids):

20 second hugs - there’s been research into this (!) and apparently 20 seconds is the optimum time for oxytocin to be released, which relaxes us and reduces cortisol, the stress hormone. Cuddling pets would also work to calm down your nervous system. 

Shake it off - it sounds crazy but shaking and jumping are natural ways to release adrenaline and cortisol. You see animals in nature doing this after a life-threatening situation and toddlers also do this instinctively when they’re overwhelmed. 

Breathe - lengthening our exhale can activate our parasympathetic response which is the opposite to the stress response. I’ve added this technique in a short video and also to a relaxation MP3. 

A change of scene - weather and lock down restrictions limit this option but getting outside and having fresh air can help us to reset quicker than if we stayed in the same room. 

Get support -you’re not on your own - if you want some help with any of the above or just managing stress in general then please contact me on hello@sianquipp.com or go to https://mywellnesshub.co.uk/ to book at call.