The pandemic has forced every family to stay in the comfort of their homes. It limits our social interaction, affects our work and education, and disrupts our life in general. But if anything, it has brought us closer to our family. Hence, family care has never been this important.
Taking care of your family doesn’t only entail protecting them from the threat of the novel coronavirus. It’s about fostering their physical health, mental wellness, and overall well-being. However, the approach may be different when dealing with your spouse, children, relatives, and even household pets.
There are some key things you must keep in mind when caring for your family members. Here’s how to take care of them during the pandemic:
Practicing Self-care
Self-care is essential for your overall well-being. Once you know how to take care of yourself, you’ll be better equipped to take good care of others as well. If you’re feeling overwhelmed and stressed or dealing with anxiety and depression, you won’t be able to extend care to your spouse and children. That’s why you have to be okay to be on top of everything at home.
That said, you must have time for yourself. First, take a break from managing the household and accomplishing your tasks at work. Also, allow yourself to have a ‘me’ time and to recharge. Only if you’re well and okay can you genuinely care for your family as well.
Dealing with Spouse
You and your spouse must be true partners during this crucial time. As a support system, be always there for each other. Be sure to uplift and not bring each other down. If one is overwhelmed and down, the other has to take over — and the other way around.
It’s easy to argue over financial issues, household management, raising kids, and other family matters. While this is normal, know that you and your spouse are partners in crime. At the end of the day, you’re in this together amid this pandemic.
Handling your Children
Taking care of your children can be daunting. This is because they are the most vulnerable during this unprecedented time. If you take them for granted, you won’t know what’s happening at the back of their minds. They might be left to fend for themselves and might eventually give up.
The best course of action is to foster a healthy lifestyle at home. Encourage your children to eat properly, stay hydrated, get enough sleep, and work out regularly. Regulate their phone or internet time and allow some for family bonding. Help them with their online learning, including projects and assignments. Always have open lines of communication. All these will help your children rise above the pandemic situation.
Inviting Guests and Relatives
Apart from your family, you may have guests or relatives who have come over or stayed in your house. These are people who are usually close to your heart. That’s why, despite the pandemic, you still welcome them into your humble abode.
Before they enter your house, ensure that they follow health and safety protocols. Let them wash their hands or take a bath first, and disinfect their items and belongings. Most importantly, ensure that they aren’t sick at all. Otherwise, they need to get tested to ensure they’re COVID-19 negative.
While at home, orient them on the household rules concerning COVID-related health and safety guidelines. Ultimately, ensure that they will strictly follow these rules.
Taking Care of Your Pets
Household pets are considered furry members of the family. As such, you must not ignore your pets at all. No studies have shown yet that pets can transmit the novel coronavirus to humans. However, humans can transmit their COVID-19 infection to pets (like dogs, cats, hamsters, and rabbits).
If you have the abovementioned pets, be sure to take good care of them. First, have safety measures for pet interaction. These include washing your hands and limiting your interactions with them when sick.
Also, ensure your pets’ hygiene and cleanliness. Do so by giving them a regular bath, disinfecting their shelter, and cleaning their belongings. Lastly, have a pet transport service if you need to bring them to a vet for a checkup and treatment. Consider this as well if you need to move them to a different location.
Family care is essential, especially during this pandemic. Be sure to consider the valuable pieces of advice discussed above. Know that it starts with self-care and extends to your spouse and children. Even caring for your guests and relatives as well as furry members of the family must not be ignored. After all, caring starts at home and extends to the community.
