Experts are giving their advice on how to handle the long-term pandemic anxiety that their children may be living with. The pandemic has had larger impacts than just on the physical health of people. It also played into almost every aspect of people’s lives, and a big part of that was mental health. While everyone was impacted in some way, some are concerned that children have suffered the most. With having to do remote school, go without seeing their friends and family, and the complete isolation they felt, children’s mental health has continued to suffer the effects, and parents may be wondering what they can do to help.

According to Medical Xpress, experts are giving some advice on how parents can help their children who may be suffering from long-term pandemic anxiety. These experts are from Baylor College of Medicine, and their report can be read in full here.

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Dr. Laurel Williams is one of the experts, and she said that the first thing that parents have to do is get on the same page with each other about their thoughts on the virus. This can allow them to be more of a team when helping their children.

She stated that when parents don’t know how they feel, this can cause more anxiety in children. If children feel and know that their parents are in control, it can help them feel safe and offer some stability.

She also suggests asking your child how they feel about the pandemic at this point. With a lot of mandates being lifted, it could breed some anxiety in children who have spent a large portion of their lives being safe and following guidelines.

Having this conversation can help parents understand the exact worries and fears their children are experiencing, and then they can be addressed.

For example, if your child is worried about people not wearing masks, or that they may contract the virus still. Mom and dad can make up a family plan on how they are going to stay safe. Explain that this is all they can do, and as long as they follow their own guidelines, they are doing the very best they can do.

If your child is exhibiting behaviors like repetitive handwashing, mom and dad need to be clear in their family plan on when they will wash hands, and they need to stick to it. This may be hard at first, but over time, your child will learn that they are just fine with washing their hands once before they eat.

Sources: Medical Xpress, BCM