This is a post for all the academic and librarian parents who are currently working from home, home-schooling the kids and keeping the house from becoming dangerous and unsanitary, while doing their best to look after their own mental health.
I keep receiving marketing emails asking me what I'm doing with all my free time?!
I suspect their target audience aren't working from home, home-schooling, and looking after a toddler and cat - the latter who still hasn't got the memo that 5.30am is not a good time to miaow for breakfast!
I keep receiving marketing emails asking me what I'm doing with all my free time?!
I suspect their target audience aren't working from home, home-schooling, and looking after a toddler and cat - the latter who still hasn't got the memo that 5.30am is not a good time to miaow for breakfast!
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| Naughty Loki! |
So what are you doing to stay sane while you try not to be bitter about those who complain to be bored? Such little imagination! Personally, I would be reading all the things, baking all the things, becoming fluent in French, fixing up my garden and planning my adventures for when Covid-19 (also known as 'all this stuff') is no longer a massively disrupting force in our lives.
Instead, this week I am mainly holding back-to-back formative assessments via Skype, while my 5 year old argues that he is the teacher and will take the register (he's already told me the passcode for the school's reception!).
So here are a few tips on keeping your cool:
Go easy on yourself and everybody
Your kids will be anxious, as will your students and yourself. It's an unusual time with lots of uncertainty. Do what you can to maintain some normalcy. Reassure them. With regards to teaching, it can take a lot of time and skill to develop fantastic online courses so be kind to yourself and just focus on the essential learning outcomes. The bells and whistles can be added a bit later. Can the activity be changed? Does it really have to be synchronous?
Let it go
Yes, there are selfish people stockpiling formula and toilet rolls. Yes, there will be people emailing you to say they are frustrated as they've had to deal with changed assessments and are worried about loved ones while you want to say, erm, hello. But - we don't have control over other's actions and feelings, only our own. At some point, unless we can do something directly about it, it's best to focus on the good that people are doing.
Find a routine that works for you
For me, I am chunking appointments and everything else is working on the premise of little and often. I'm currently: writing a chapter, an article, changing the way I teach and providing support for people on the courses I run. By fitting something from all of these into my calendar, even if I only manage a small fraction, I am still moving forwards on everything. Others may find that doing a day on and a day off works better, perhaps alternating with a partner if one is available. There are many factors to take into consideration, from the age of your kids to who has wi-fi priority, so it may take a while to find a rhythm.
Get some fresh air/exercise (ideally both) if you can
For some this will be easier than others. I'm lucky that I have a garden, although it's in a sorry state, so I can hang my washing out, plant some seeds and blow bubbles with the children and we can all blow off some steam. Social distancing can still involve a run or a walk outside as long as we stay away from people and wash our hands thoroughly, although I haven't done this yet. Additionally, there are plenty of free yoga, HIIT and other exercise videos freely available on YouTube. I like Yoga with Adrienne and The Body Coach (in small doses) and the kids like Cosmic Kids and Jump Start Jonny.
Use all media mindfully
Like many others, I was avidly listening to the radio, watching the news and following social media for updates. I felt myself getting tense, scared and crying occasionally. This week has been so busy with the kids and the assessments that I've barely had time to look. Social media has long since been my way of keeping in touch since I had children so I won't be logging off; however, a little recalibration is very useful to ensure we spend time looking at what is helpful to us or where we can be of use to others.
Instead, this week I am mainly holding back-to-back formative assessments via Skype, while my 5 year old argues that he is the teacher and will take the register (he's already told me the passcode for the school's reception!).
So here are a few tips on keeping your cool:
Go easy on yourself and everybody
Your kids will be anxious, as will your students and yourself. It's an unusual time with lots of uncertainty. Do what you can to maintain some normalcy. Reassure them. With regards to teaching, it can take a lot of time and skill to develop fantastic online courses so be kind to yourself and just focus on the essential learning outcomes. The bells and whistles can be added a bit later. Can the activity be changed? Does it really have to be synchronous?
Let it go
Yes, there are selfish people stockpiling formula and toilet rolls. Yes, there will be people emailing you to say they are frustrated as they've had to deal with changed assessments and are worried about loved ones while you want to say, erm, hello. But - we don't have control over other's actions and feelings, only our own. At some point, unless we can do something directly about it, it's best to focus on the good that people are doing.
Find a routine that works for you
For me, I am chunking appointments and everything else is working on the premise of little and often. I'm currently: writing a chapter, an article, changing the way I teach and providing support for people on the courses I run. By fitting something from all of these into my calendar, even if I only manage a small fraction, I am still moving forwards on everything. Others may find that doing a day on and a day off works better, perhaps alternating with a partner if one is available. There are many factors to take into consideration, from the age of your kids to who has wi-fi priority, so it may take a while to find a rhythm.
Get some fresh air/exercise (ideally both) if you can
For some this will be easier than others. I'm lucky that I have a garden, although it's in a sorry state, so I can hang my washing out, plant some seeds and blow bubbles with the children and we can all blow off some steam. Social distancing can still involve a run or a walk outside as long as we stay away from people and wash our hands thoroughly, although I haven't done this yet. Additionally, there are plenty of free yoga, HIIT and other exercise videos freely available on YouTube. I like Yoga with Adrienne and The Body Coach (in small doses) and the kids like Cosmic Kids and Jump Start Jonny.
Use all media mindfully
Like many others, I was avidly listening to the radio, watching the news and following social media for updates. I felt myself getting tense, scared and crying occasionally. This week has been so busy with the kids and the assessments that I've barely had time to look. Social media has long since been my way of keeping in touch since I had children so I won't be logging off; however, a little recalibration is very useful to ensure we spend time looking at what is helpful to us or where we can be of use to others.
Ultimately, this is going to be our new normal for a while. The easier we can make it for ourselves and those around us the better it will be.
What's your approach? What are you doing to look after yourself?
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