Online school and working from home has been hard on many families' mental health. (File photo/paNOW Staff)

By Alison Sandstrom

Mental Health

How to build routines amid uncertainty and disruption of pandemic

Feb 8, 2021 | 2:00 PM

We may be nearly a year into the “new normal” of pandemic life, but an increasing number of people are finding it difficult to cope.

A December survey from the Canadian Mental Health Association reports 40 per cent of Canadians say their mental health has deteriorated since March.

“The need for support out there continues to increase,” Kim Rock, a counsellor with Prince Albert Catholic Family Services told paNOW. “As the pandemic continues on, as we get deeper into our winter, as the weather gets colder we see more and more calls from people needing assistance and support for mental health.”

Rock explains disrupted routines contribute to increased stress, particularly among children.

“Kiddos tend to thrive in terms of knowing where the boundaries are, knowing what’s coming next,” Rock said. “When those safety nets are, in a way, taken out for them, it’s difficult and then they react with disruptive type behaviors.”

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This in turn, elevates parents stress and anxiety levels.

Rock recommends trying to keep routines as consistent as possible. Set sleep, waking, eating and bath times as though kids were going to school like they normally would, even if they’re not.

Also be realistic in your expectations for your children. For example, a seven-year-old may not be able to sit in front of a computer learning for three to four hours at a time.

“Younger kids aren’t good at sitting. They shouldn’t be, they’re kids,” Rock said. “So asking them to sit and learn from a computer screen is asking a pretty developmentally difficult task.”

Along with compassion for your children, Rock says it’s important to show kindness and empathy for yourself.

“It is a really hard time right now. It’s natural for people to have more stress and they’re not alone in that,” she said. “Recognize that you’re doing the best you can.”

Transforming routines from social obligation to self-care

Devan Moxley Teigrob, a mental health nurse at the University of Saskatchewan Student Wellness Centre has also seen the impact of disrupted routines in his clients.

“We’re not talking having a perfect schedule all the time but having that kind of building block of my daily life so that my brain can understand where it’s supposed to go,” he said.

Moxley Teigrob explained it like navigating a new city, first learning the main arteries, major roads and landmarks.

“Because if we know where we’re at in relation to those, we generally feel okay,” he continued. “But if we find ourselves in a place of that city that we can’t recognize anything, we feel lost, we feel scared, even if we’re not at any risk.”

In terms of mental health, feelings of being lost or overwhelmed leads to increased anxiety and decreased motivation.

For those who are lacking the structure they may have had pre-pandemic, Moxley Teigrob recommends evaluating which parts of their previous routine they value, and reclaiming those aspects as a means of self-care, as opposed to social obligation.

“Let’s say that even though my work is virtual, I’m going to respect myself enough to get up early to have a shower and get dressed. Because I feel better when I’m like that,” he said. “Not only will it kind of jumpstart my day on a note that I’m doing something for me… but it also sets the tone of routine again.”

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alison.sandstrom@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @alisandstrom