Mental health and wellness during the COVID-19 pandemic
Children are perceptive, and they’re sensitive to anxiety. Don’t make things up, and don’t pretend the situation outside their four walls isn’t real. There are some excellent resources on how to frame conversations in an age-appropriate manner. Consider telling your kids that they are helpers and that their role is important for keeping themselves and everyone safe. Again, don’t make things up. Stick to simple, relatable language.
The Mental Health Commission of Canada has a great resource inside The Working Mind COVID‑19 Self-Care and Resilience Guide, called the mental health continuum model. It’s a simple tool that presents a series of emotional, cognitive, behavioural, physical, and substance use indicators. These indicators can be used to measure positive-through-deteriorating-to-poor mental health, and changes in personal functioning. Colour-coded as green (healthy), yellow (reacting), orange (injured) and red (ill), the indicators are paired with their corresponding colours to help you understand when it might be time to ask for help.
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