With the tombs all swept, it’s back to school tomorrow. For many students, that still means online learning; extended time at home in the company of parents which has led a local hospital to offer tips for staying on top of things, psychologically speaking.
But in keeping with The Nanjinger’s COVID updates, first the numbers. It was another good news day yesterday as our city recorded no new positive cases in the 24 hours to 00:00 today.
That would have helped to continue a trend had it not been for an irresponsible COVID-positive truck driver. Somehow managing to evade the border checks for truckers reported by this publication last Friday, 1 April, the man brought our most-hated virus back to Jiangning District.
As such, the driver’s actions have necessitated Jianging designate a “Closed Area” and a “Control Area” in the District, not far from the main thoroughfare of Tianyuan Lu, where the likes of Kingmo are located, reported PSA Jiangning. The former comprises the area enclosed east to west by the Qinhuai River and Zhushan Lu, and north to south by the Yudai Dyke and Chengxin Avenue.
Onto those tips for staying sane with the kids at home all the time. Responsible is the wonderfully named Nanjing Brain Hospital, and in particular, the Children’s Mental Health Research Centre located therein.
“Parents must first improve their ability to perceive and not amplify anxiety”, said Liu Jiafang, a psychotherapist at the Centre, reports Nanjing Daily today.
Liu stated that parents need understand that home study can disrupt children’s routines and as a result they will likely become irritable. Maintaining the routine is most important.
“Attention levels are closely related to the development of the nervous system, and everyone’s levels have individual differences”, Liu also stressed. Therefore, this is more than ever not the time to compare one’s children to they of others.
For parents, key to managing their children’s emotions is to first manage their own. When feeling impulsive, Liu suggests that parents adopt the international mindfulness “STOP” method. “S” is for Stop and calm down; “T” is for Take a deep breath, so that the prefrontal lobe that manages emotions gets enough oxygen; “O” is for Observe the surrounding environment and one’s own feelings; and “P” is for Proceed with what you were doing, having decided to incorporate that just learned.
One thing is for sure; accusations and scolding will not solve the problem. What’s necessary is a united front, not a state of opposition.
And if parents cannot self discipline, they should remind themselves that these are normal reactions under the stress of the epidemic. We must merely try to accept them.