Outdoor therapy offers an opportunity to connect with each other and nature while we work. You can set the pace, and choose from several locations. The goal is to get our bodies moving a little bit in nature, not to work up a sweat. Research has suggested that walking in nature reduces stress, anxiety, and depression, and supports improved cognitive functioning.
You are here. You are not responsible for carrying us anywhere else. There are few things that cultivate more hopelessness and helplessness than pretending a moment isn’t what it is. Be where you are. That is enough.
Covid-19 has created an anxiety stew that even the most relaxed parents can’t avoid. When kids catch on to the fear it becomes an even bigger struggle to keep a semblance of normal life. Here are some tips for helping the entire family work through anxiety.
This isn’t the time to implement your dream of recreating Little House on the Prairie, unless that comes easily to you and helps all of you feel better. Reassess frequently, and if what you’re doing is creating more power struggles, don’t be afraid to toss it and start over.
It is difficult, if not impossible, to sustain a contagious calm without filling your own cup. Even as we isolate, we need each other.