At present, the new crown epidemic has once again fought back, and the crisis event of the epidemic has not only affected people's physical health, but also affected people's mental health. In the epidemic prevention and control environment, people are prone to various emotional problems, especially children's groups, compared with adults, children's physiology and psychology are in a critical period of development, and their ability to adapt to environmental changes is weak, so parents should not only do a good job in children's physical protection, but also pay attention to children's psychological protection. So, what causes children to have psychological problems during the pandemic? How to solve children's psychological problems?
Psychological problems that children are prone to
1. Nervousness and anxiety
Children become curious about the outbreak, while at the same time developing tension and anxiety about viruses, illnesses, and deaths that they do not understand, and this anxiety is further exacerbated by a large number of news reports. Even if they can't understand what the epidemic is, children can be keenly aware of the emotional ups and downs that parents don't know themselves, resulting in emotional problems.
2. Irritable, depressed, irritable
For children who have already entered school, wearing masks, checking nucleic acids, not being able to go to school and playing with friends will cause the rhythm of life to be disrupted and cause children to adapt. At the same time, due to online teaching at home, parents not only need to take care of their children's daily lives, but also need to arrange learning tasks. Parents are worried that children's learning will be affected, and they are prone to conflicts and contradictions between academic counseling and children.
3. Spend too much time with your parents and have an imbalanced parent-child relationship
For children and adolescents, due to the pandemic, the amount of time spent with their parents has increased significantly compared to their previous schooling. If the channels of parent-child communication are not smooth, conflicts will arise because of the length of time spent studying, daily life, and even watching TV and playing games. If the two parties speak inappropriately and cannot think differently or understand each other, it will lead to further deterioration of the contradiction and the consequences of dysfunctional parent-child relationship.
How to do a good job of psychological protection for children
1. Parents should maintain emotional stability
Parents should do a good job of their own emotional management, do not be overly anxious and nervous in the face of the epidemic, and pay attention to creating a safe and harmonious family atmosphere. In the epidemic period, we must have love, neighbors should take care of each other, help each other. You can tell positive stories with your children, establish a good example for children to learn, and cultivate children's sense of social responsibility and morality.
2. Explain the epidemic situation positively and vividly
Parents need to choose the appropriate way to communicate the virus and the epidemic simply and clearly, depending on the age and acceptance of the child.
For young children, parents can use interesting ways, such as comparing the virus to "the bad guy who attacks people" and the vaccine to the "guard" to explain the virus and the epidemic.
Parents can also use some picture books published online to learn about viruses and diseases with children, use interesting cartoons to explain how the human body "fights" with viruses, let children understand the relationship between viruses and humans, health hazards, etc., and cultivate their curiosity and interest in science. Through words and deeds, children are taught how to protect themselves, so that children can simply and clearly understand the epidemic situation and alleviate their panic, anxiety and other emotions.
3. Reasonably arrange children's lives
Work with your children to develop a family schedule to relax the mood of the whole family through a regular life. The schedule includes: time for children to learn, time for adequate sleep, time for recreation and home exercise. Don't be too detailed and give children free and autonomous time.
Provide children with as many family entertainment activities as possible. Parents can take the initiative to invite their children to play games together, participate in housework, and take care of the family together, so as to cultivate their children's sense of labor and hands-on ability.
You can also make a daily wish list with your child, such as some parent-child games: do handicrafts, draw, make food, raise plants, etc., according to the child's preferences, prioritize, realize item by item, enjoy the current life with the child, and make life more exciting.
Establish a regular schedule for study and rest, even if you take online classes at home, change your pajamas after getting up, dress according to the requirements of your usual school days, and maintain the stability of your life and study. Rational and scientific use of electronic products, help children and peers communicate online, and limit daily screen contact time.
4. More companionship and more communication
Parents should have an equal dialogue with their children and not neglect to interact with their children for work reasons. Respect the needs of children to be independent and alone, give children a certain amount of space, less discipline, more consultation and encouragement. Listen to the child's "nagging", do not rush to comment on and correct the child's ideas, even if the child has some inappropriate or incorrect ideas, you can also slowly guide after that, do not stand against the child.
Learn to pay attention to the child's emotional problems, for children with mild behavioral problems, do not ignore or overly care, help the child release excess energy, learn to control emotions. Do not let the epidemic topic appear excessively in life, pay more attention to other happy topics, but respond to children's doubts in a timely manner, including epidemic, disease, death and other issues, and make appropriate answers according to the age and understanding ability of children.
Source: Department of Child Rehabilitation Wang Xiao
Photo editor: Zhang Jiaxin/Zhao Wanjiao, Planning and Outreach Office
Review: Party and Government Office Tan Xiaoqing