Peas in a Pod: Mental Wellness for the Entire Family
Many familieshave beenstrugglingto findٳdzپDzԲڴǴdzپԲܰԲthe COVID-19 pandemic.
In a recent online interactive webinar,“,”Ƶbrought together a WCM psychiatrist and two clinical psychologiststodiscusshowfamilies canimprove ٳmental wellnesstogether.
Communicate.
“One of the things that I've noticed is that…those who really effectively communicate with each other do a lot better,” saidSusan Evans, Ph.D.,professor of psychology in clinical psychiatry at Weill Cornell Medical College and Cornell University. “Families who do well are able to basically stop and hear what the other person is saying…are in a better position to problem solve with each other. And often what I see is them coming up with some sort of compromise.”
Be generous.
ometimes the families who are…keeping track of what each person is doing--‘I did 70% of the childcare this week and so you owe me,’kind of thing.It’sresentment built up.[Take]the other person's perspective,” Dr. Evanssaid.
Acknowledgeadolescent stress.
“Interactions with peers is one of the core tasks of adolescent development,”saidShannon Bennett,Ph.D.,assistant professor of psychology in clinical psychiatry at Ƶ.
“Social distancing and quarantine and schools closing and the limits to how we can engage with others is an enormous stressor…but particularly for teenagers who miss seeing their friends, they feel frustrated.”
Practice mindfulness.
“Mindfulness can be really a very helpful tool because what you're doing is focusing and just practicing being in the present moment.[It’s] auseful family practice during this time where the parents are practicing and then practicing with their children and the kids can use it--a transition before classes start in the morning or at lunchtime,” Dr. Bennett said, adding that apps such as Calm and Headspacealsomay be useful.
Track symptoms.
Francis Lee, MD, Ph.D.,professor of psychiatry,Weill Cornell Medical College, Cornell University,discussed a newsymptom trackerfor young adultsto allow themto digitally monitortheir ownsymptoms of anxiety, depression, stress, sleep,andsocialisolation.Encouraging this allows patients to“sort of now shift the responsibility….ou'reresponsible for your own mental health and you get to, in an anonymous, confidential way, be able to monitor it.”
Roam.
Dr. Evans hasstarted to suggest roaming to some patientswho feel stuckathome.“It's hard to, in some neighborhoods, roam around. But those that I've talked to about it have found it very appealing….AndI think all agree that this experiential novelty, just moving into different neighborhoods or having different experiences really contributes to wellbeing.”
Create routines.
“We all thrive on predictability and consistency--but particularly youth,”Dr. Bennettsaid.Ԩoung people who struggle around transitions or who like to know what the next thing is, we want to have a variety of activities and then embed that in a structure for the day or for the week….Wekind of communicate as a family about what's coming up so that we can all kind of be at our best.”
See friends.
Itcan bedifficult to maintain children’s friendships, particularly when different families practice different levels of social distancing,Dr.Bennettsaid.
f this is a friend who's very important in one's life or in your child's life, then communicating with the parents--‘These are our practices and this is the way that we've been thinking about risk and safety within our family.Tell me about yours and can we come up with something that feels comfortable for everyone.’
Take a break.
“We have to take care of ourselves in whatever way that we can,even if it is a five-minute break,” Dr. Bennett explained, and added,“We can just be tuned into our own needs as parents,and then be better able to meet the needs of our families,” she said.
Create space.
It can help for parents tohave a physicalspace in the home for work(even in a studio apartment). It’s also importanttalk to kids about boundaries soparentscan have some moments for themselves, Dr. Bennett said.
Find help, together.
“We have been able to provide for the first time,mental services not only for the children in the clinics,but also for the families,” Dr. Lee saidof Ƶ’s mental health options, and added that WCM has developed “integrative ways that we've been coming up with of trying to deal with especially these families that are under particular stress.”
Recognizeresilience.
“People are resilient, kids are very resilient, we're adaptable, we can be flexible,” Dr.Bennett said.“We can work together and move through this certainly with stress and strong emotion and some struggle. But with strength and openness and communication…we[can]continue to pay attention to how we're doing and take care of ourselves and take care of each other.”
To learn more about Weill Cornell’s work in mental health and the activities of our faculty, please visit these links:
- offersto deal with fear and social isolation during the pandemic.
- Ƶ’s Department of Psychiatry offers a comprehensive selection of free resources on.
- For parents seeking additional coping information, more fromcan be found at.
- Adolescents and young adults, ages 14 to 29, can utilize the Department of Psychiatry’s new, currently in its beta phase, with additional functionality to come.
- about Ƶ’s Children’s Health Investigators Fund and the many exemplary physician-scientists it supports, includingand.