Let’s talk about how children can adjust to the new normal post-Covid

What COVID-19 has shown us is that people in general adjust to a new way of life rather quickly. This counts for everybody, both adults and children. In this blog post we will be finding out how children can learn how to cope with life after the pandemic and how they will adjust.

Let’s assume your child is shy, does not have a lot of friends or does not like talking much and it wasn’t too difficult to adjust to a pandemic. Social skills were put in the back and communication skills were left behind and not thought about. Thus, it will be a big adjustment going back to normal life where the child will be in a more social situation. 

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Another challenge is getting used to places as well. Generally, we all have been in this pandemic for around a year. So places we used to go to a lot are now estranged places. For children, this can be confusing. A lot can change, especially if a child has moved to another city or town and goes to a new school, literally everything is different and to adjust to that can be quite a challenge. Another aspect to consider are the adjustments children had to take during the pandemic, like increased level of hygiene. There were hand sanitizers everywhere, masks, and so on. If there is one thing that we have learned from this is that hygiene is very important and children know this as well. Living in a world without hand sanitizers could be unimaginable now for them. Also going out again and being among people could scare children. For so long have they associated outside life with danger, it will be difficult to unlearn this association. 

There are emotional cues that parents can pick up if a child has difficulty adjusting to life after COVID-19. Some of these emotional cues can be fear, anxiety, stress, and or perhaps other negative emotions. Since children are still young they cannot always say what is bothering them, because these are emotions they have not dealt with before. However, there are physical cues that can help you identify that your child is having problems emotionally. One of these physical cues can be a stomach ache, like cramps. Other physical cues can be headaches, sudden crying, acting clingy, difficulty sleeping or a different sleeping pattern, no concentration, no appetite and the list goes on. Once these physical cues have been picked up on, it is important to talk to your child about this new and changing situation and perhaps even environment. It is important to have this conversation with your child as it can ease your child into adjusting to life post pandemic. A way to ease your child is to make sure to have a routine again, giving your child the knowledge on why certain things are opening up again. A helpful trick is to try to avoid the news or other media exposure as much as possible. Of course, nowadays everybody has access to the internet, but be aware that everything your child reads or sees has an impact on them. 

In the end, we can only make sure that your child or other children will feel as comfortable as they can as before the pandemic. So make sure that they are up to date with everything, they feel as comfortable as in what they are doing and do not forget to communicate. Communication is key in this ever-changing world.

Sources:

How to help your child adjust to going back to school during the pandemic, by Health Essentials 

Helping children adjust to life after COVID-19 stay at home orders, by Dr. Sheila Modir

Here’s how to help your kids break out of their pandemic bubble and transition back to being with others, by Dominique A. Phillips, Jill Ehrenreich-May

As optimism returns, a reminder that life after COVID-19 will be stressful for many, by Stuart Wolpert