Back-to-School Panic during the Pandemic?

Are you suffering from increased anxiety & stress during this new school season?

Hypnotherapy may be a solution to help you manage your anxiety and stress, especially with the parental pressures of a new school year and the health concerns of COVID.

Contact us to schedule an appointment with Robin to learn techniques to help maintain wellness & peace for you and your family.

Making it through the beginning of school in the middle of a Pandemic…

You've got this!!

Summer is over, school is back in session. The year 2020 has proven to be a year like no one has ever seen before. Let us go back to January of 2020; a brand-new year, resolutions made, new decade beginning, but nothing too different from any other year.

How could any of us possibly have predicted what was right around the corner…

a new virus that would literally take over the world and change our lives forever.

Though there was some early talk about a dangerous virus going on in China, China was on the other side of the world and the US couldn’t possibly be affected by it, right? Well, we could not have been more wrong!

The virus, known to us now as COVID-19, or Coronavirus, made it as close one town over from where I live, the town of New Rochelle. New Rochelle, NY became the one of the first epicenters of COVID-19. How was that even possible? Apparently, a man, unbeknownst to him, was carrying the new deadly virus when he took a flight back to New York from China.

From that point, it spread like wildfire. Suddenly in early March, all schools had closed down, Broadway theaters shut their doors, restaurants, retail stores, and the free world as we knew it was forever changed.

Fast forward six months… it’s time for school?

Will doors simply open up and kids pick up right where they left off? Nope.

Is there a vaccination, so life can go back to normal? Not anytime soon.

Can people walk around, take public transportation like nothing is wrong? Nope.

Will life ever be the same again? Nope.

Do people of all ages have to be super vigilant about social distancing, sanitizing everything and wearing masks in any public place? Absolutely!

Are people generally afraid for the older generations, the younger generations and all generations? Yes!

What do we do? Do we go into bubbles, where no one goes near each other for fear of catching the virus? Absolutely not.

Life must go on, schools must open, businesses and restaurants must resume operations. The big question on everyone’s mind is, “How are we going to do this?”

School administrators throughout the country have been trying to figure out the best possible solution(s) for school-aged children in their towns, including colleges throughout the United States.

In some areas, “pods” seem to be opening for younger children in schools. What is a pod? A pod is a small number of children clustered together, wearing masks of course, with a teacher at the helm.

For some older school-aged children through college-aged, schools and universities are utilizing educational solutions from all virtual, to smaller classrooms, to hybrid models with limited days a week of in-person classes and the other days of at-home e-learning, and everything in between.

What is the correct answer for solving the school and educational process for our children? Does anyone really know? Nope.

As parents and guardians of school-aged children in this very challenging time, we must rely on many “experts” with sometime many different “expert opinions”. The common thread in recommendations to keep our students (and adult educators and administration) seems to be everyone needs to wear a mask, sanitize hands often and social distance as much as possible.

So… there are two questions we must all ask ourselves, do we live in fear, afraid of doing something wrong or do we try to move on with our lives, precautions in place and simply do the best we can? I go for the latter.

If parents have made the decision to send their children to school, then they should be able to do that without the feelings of worry that something might happen. If parents decide to keep their children home, then parents should stand by that decision as well, and feel confident that their children’s education is not being compromised. The bottom line is that once a decision is made on how your child’s/children’s education will be handled, whether it is a decision you have control over or not, do not spend hours stressing about it.

In addition to the emotional and mental anguish that can be caused, science has proven that stress and anxiety can make people physically ill and lower your immune system. During this time when health and wellness is of the utmost importance to help protect you and your family from COVID, increased stress caused by the challenges of schooling during a pandemic should be well-managed or avoided. Keep in mind, no decision must be set in stone and constant worrying will not help your children, and if anything, it may cause more stress on them by watching their role models fall apart.

If the global pandemic has taught us anything, it is that individuals need to live in the moment, without the “what if” syndrome taking over every thought. Of course, this is not as easy as it sounds, especially with the constant noise of the media and news. Like everything else in life, feeling at peace and as stress-free as possible takes practice. To reiterate, stress causes anxiety, depression, lack of focus, physical discomfort and can significantly compromise a person’s autoimmune system. How are these serious ailments going to help anyone stay healthy, especially the younger generation? They are not!!

Are there solutions to a calmer, more peaceful day-to-day existence? Of course, there are.

This is the time to be the best version of yourself, to role model for your children by showing them how to manage the stress of the unprecedented situation we have all found ourselves in.

Don’t let the stress of the virus take control over you, you take control of the stress! How?

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First, reach out to Harbor Hypnotherapy & Healing Life’s Losses. Hypnosis is a proven approach to deal with stress and anxiety. Though there are many Myths about Hypnosis, Hypnotherapy is a safe, alternative medical approach to anxiety and many other issues.

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There is no better time to eat healthy and develop good nutritional habits. The benefits are enormous, including inner strength, better focus, anxiety and stress reduction, strengthened autoimmune system and more.

Now is the time to get up and move, go for walks, hikes, biking, running, swimming, dancing. Do whatever you can do to stay strong and keep your body moving, which will also kick in those endorphins and in-turn, will allow you to feel happier and less stressed.

Now, is the time to meditate and take a “time out” from all the negative things you are holding on to. Taking just ten minutes a day for yourself can change your life for the better. If you have a hard time relaxing and clearing your mind, google guided meditation or hypnosis to help stress and anxiety.

Some other stress management tips include:

• Keeping your mind busy through either working, starting a new hobby, reading a book, or even writing a book. Just don’t give yourself too much time to think about what is going on in the world.

• Stay away from the news, when at all possible!! The news will destroy every positive thing you are trying to do for yourself.

You have got this!! Take nice slow breaths anytime the feeling of stress arises. Nice slow breaths!

2020 can be a positive chance for transformation. It can be a time to learn about yourself and the capability you have within yourself to relax and let go of that stress and anxiety.

Step up to the plate and knock the ball out of the park! Show your kids and each other respect and resilience. Wear those masks, practice social distancing, sanitize your hands often and also, most importantly, live your best life you can, even with this pandemic! Believe in yourself! Build yourself up! Worrying, stressing yourself out and feeling depressed and hopeless does not serve you or anyone around you in anyway.

Dance like no one is watching, sing like no one is listening and spread the good will and respect to everyone you come across. You be the example to your children, your parents, your neighbors, and watch the positive ripple you start!

To learn how hypnotherapy techniques and strategies can help you, reach 914-450-8877 or via email [email protected].