*Note: originally published during the pandemic and updated in 2025*
In 2020, it felt like time had stood still and yet, in the blink of an eye, it was November. With National Stress Awareness Day approaching, I reflected on the effects COVID-19 had on my life. Limited job opportunities, closures of shops and everyday buildings, and lack of social interactions due to lockdowns contributed to my increased stress. However, I am not alone. According to reports, around 11 million Canadians have experienced an elevated level of stress during the pandemic.
These times have repeatedly challenged the normalcy of our everyday lives. As we adapt and shed old routines, we find our physical and mental health at greater risk due to these stress-inducing circumstances. Though we face different kinds of levels of hardship and come from different backgrounds, stress, like COVID-19, does not discriminate. Stress negatively affects both our physical health and mental wellbeing.
Even in the years after the pandemic, we are still dealing with a looming recession, financial hardship, rising housing costs, and national conflicts. In comparison to previous generations, millennials are more stressed.
Children and Stress
In September of 2020, children started returning to schools. To prevent COVID-19 transmission, they followed physical distancing guidelines, wore masks, and more. Children who learned from home missed valuable social interactions that couldn’t be recreated online.
Tasha Trotman, mother of a 16-year-old, spoke about her worries: “My daughter needs the social interaction coming from working in a real-world class setting as she’s not an independent worker and finds greater success working with others.” These measures were tremendously stressful for children.
Even after the pandemic, children remain especially vulnerable to stress as in unstable and changing financial, political, and socioeconomic. climates
How Parents Can Help Stressed Children
Fortunately, the CDC provided a few strategies for parents to communicate with and help their children reduce stress:
1. Maintain a routine
Following a set routine can provide a sense of structure and a feeling of normalcy. It helps children to know they have control over some aspects of their lives.
2. Talk, listen and encourage self-expression
Consistently establish a space/time for your child to share their feelings with you. Do not pressure them to share or interrupt them as they are speaking. Just listen. If they tell you something alarming or act very differently from usual, you may step in to offer guidance and encouragement.
3. Reassure
Tell your child they can overcome the stressful situation.
4. Connect with others
Reach out to your friends, family members, and other adults for advice. You can also bring them in to further support your child.
Self-Care Tips For Managing Stress (Both Children & Adults)
Remember, you cannot help your child or anyone else if you do not take care of your own stress first! Constantly pushing aside your problems to help others can lead to burnout. Here are a few simple activities you can try whenever you begin to feel too stressed:
1. Sing
Yes, that’s right. Sing. This has been effective during the pandemic and remains so. Singing, like any exercise, triggers the release of endorphins, which are the brain’s feel-good chemicals. Whenever you feel stressed, play your favourite song and sing along to it. Are you self-conscious about your singing voice? Try singing in the shower or at home.
2. Get some sunlight
Feeling trapped inside staring at a screen all day? Attending yet another Zoom meeting? Many working professionals work from home or have hybrid schedules. Take a break and step outside. Sunlight encourages the release of serotonin, elevating your mood. The fresh air also helps clear your mind. Use this as an opportunity to reconnect with the outside world.
3. Practice mindfulness
The Yale Stress Center states that mindfulness can be achieved by following a 3-step daily practice: focusing on what is currently happening, doing a task with purpose, and sticking to the task no matter the outcome. By practising mindfulness, we can also better process unpleasant feelings in the moment and not linger on them.
Related article: Meditation & Mindfulness Activities for Kids
Stress Awareness: Healthier Living For All
When it comes to helping your children deal with stress or dealing with your own stress, the worst thing you can do is nothing. Ignoring stressors can lead to damaging long-term effects on mental health. Applying these simple strategies will help you and your family manage stress in a healthy way while staying positive.
Here at Green Schools Green Future, we promote healthy and sustainable living for all.
Let us know if you have any other stress-busting strategies to share!
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Sources:
https://www.cdc.gov/mental-health/living-with/index.html
https://www.helpguide.org/articles/stress/burnout-prevention-and-recovery
https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20200518-why-singing-can-make-you-feel-better-in-lockdown
https://www.healthline.com/health/depression/benefits-sunlight
