On January 17, 2022, at the 171st press conference on the prevention and control of the new coronavirus pneumonia epidemic in Tianjin, psychological expert Li Jie gave specific suggestions on how to do a good job in the psychological adjustment of minors and parents under the epidemic situation.
Li Jie said that unlike in the past, in this round of the epidemic, some of the confirmed patients are minors, some are with their parents, and some are isolated for treatment or centralized isolation. Due to the suddenness of the incident, children and parents inevitably have anxiety, fear, anger, self-blame and helplessness. While brief emotional responses during stressful states are normal, caregivers can still try ways to help our children smoothly through this period of confinement. Li Jie made several suggestions to the children, especially parents and other caregivers:
1. The diagnosed child
1. Parents of children receiving treatment in hospitals
Face the child's infection with a scientific and rational attitude and stabilize their emotions. Self-blame and anger are normal emotional responses that occur after a major negative stress event. It is not the parent's fault that the child is infected, and there is no need to blame oneself and others too much. No one wants to get sick, and no one wants to pass it on to someone else. Accept the emotions of self-blame and anger and actively regulate them. This emotion can be expressed to relatives, friends, and psychotherapists through video and voice; communication with children through videos can soothe children's emotions. This will not only provide safety for children, but also increase their sense of control over the outside world and alleviate anxiety.
2. Medical staff of the hospital
Some children who are sick, especially those who are separated from their parents, may become very fearful, clingy, sleep badly, have nightmares, etc., so medical staff will provide them with companionship and protection. Healthcare workers need to be sensitive enough to recognize your child's emotions and the needs they express. Encourage your child to express emotions in their own way. For example, if the child cries and says that he is afraid, the caregiver should not say, "Don't cry, crying is useless", "Don't be afraid", etc., but to show understanding, and express their feelings, you can say "I know you are a little afraid, so many uncles and aunts are helping us, and there are other small partners, we will definitely fight away the virus this big monster" and so on, to enhance the child's sense of security and confidence.
2. Children during quarantine
Some children are isolated with their parents, and parents can use this opportunity to strengthen communication with their children in addition to arranging their children's regular schedules.
Parents should first understand the correct knowledge of virus protection, and pass on the protection knowledge and prevention and control awareness to their children in the communication with their children's lives. For preschoolers or lower primary school children, we can communicate with children through storytelling, playing games, role-playing games, etc. At the same time, by observing the child's reaction or the way the problem is handled, parents can know what the child has misunderstood in what prevention knowledge or about the disease.
Parents spend more time with their children, more opportunities to get to know each other, and encourage children to express their ideas and enhance their understanding of their children in the process of playing together and doing other things together. When children express emotions, parents should be able to accept children's emotions, especially to understand the reasons behind children's emotions, whether some of the child's needs have not been met. When your child's emotions have subsided, they can discuss their feelings with their children and discuss how to express their needs in a better way. Change the methods of complaining, nagging, scolding, etc., learn to understand, listen, empathize, accept, help, support and other methods, find out inappropriate parts of the parent-child relationship, and solve the problem of poor communication.
It is believed that after such a special period of time, parents can deepen their understanding of their children and enhance the parent-child relationship. Some good behaviors and habits developed during quarantine should be generalized into daily life in the future.
For the people in the containment area, control area and prevention area, in the face of the new crown virus, Li Jie also put forward several suggestions.
1. I hope that everyone will pay attention to official information, reduce the input of irrelevant information, and listen to government arrangements. The acquisition of knowledge is a natural reaction of people facing dangerous threats, and citizens want to control their own situation; one is to find reliable sources of information, such as those issued by medical institutions issued by government agencies, and the other is to mobilize their own knowledge or common sense to judge the correctness and reliability of information and knowledge.
2. Accept your emotions: Panic, worry, anxiety, suspicion, anger, and aggressive impulses are common; understanding these are normal emotions in the current situation, "I can worry..." "I can have these emotions, it's normal.".
3. Acquire methods for regulating negative emotions, such as breathing, progressive muscle relaxation, butterfly patting, gratitude exercises, etc.
4. Any disease, the best medicine, is the enhancement of autoimmunity. A good emotional state helps to improve the body's immunity and avoid dependence on substances such as drugs, tobacco and alcohol as a means of emotional regulation. Physical stability is the basis of emotional stability, strengthen the public's care for their own body, reasonable diet, regular work and rest, through yoga, meditation to strengthen physical and mental exercise. Patients with medical diseases seek scientific medical treatment and take medication according to the doctor's instructions to meet physiological needs.
5. Encourage communication with family, friends, classmates, and colleagues, because communication and talking are the most effective ways to release emotions; sharing is release, sharing not only helps themselves, but also helps each other.
6. Try to use voice and video to communicate, text, one-way communication is not as effective as voice and video; as far as possible to find people who can talk, find people who can talk about private topics to communicate; strengthen the connection with the outside world, build a solid social support network, and enhance love and belonging.
People can focus on more valuable and interesting things: finding ways and activities to enjoy themselves, such as singing, reading books, listening to music, etc.; playing with children, doing homework, chatting with parents; doing things that you have always wanted to do but have no time to do.
By looking for what you already have under the current conditions and what you can do, you can constantly enhance your sense of self-control and self-efficacy.
Produced by Haihe Media Center
Source: Jinyun
Editor: Wang Xiaoyu
![The "Fourth Pole" of the same frequency resonance interviewed Li Jie, member of the Party Working Committee and deputy director of the Management Committee of Chongqing Liangjiang New Area[fig]](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAP///wAAACwAAAAAAQABAAACAkQBADs=)