Michele Coronavirus, COVID19, Pandemic Life

Helping Kids Cope With Pandemic Life

Pic of boy sitting alone by a window in a mask who is dealing with quarantine sadness. See article for resources on how to help kids with covid issues.

2020 has been a challenging year for millions of families across the country as routines and lives have been disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The greatest disruption has been in the area of our social interactions. With social distancing and isolation requirements  to protect our health, have come a new set of issues and stresses for all, but especially for children.  

Children don’t always respond to stressful events in the same way as adults do. Often they are unable to articulate how they are feeling or pinpoint a cause. However, there are behavioral clues that can help parents and other adults know they are not managing to deal with stress well. Some of these are: 

  • Excessive worry or sadness
  • Unhealthy eating or sleeping habits
  • Irritability and “acting out” behaviors
  • Lack of school interest or poor performance
  • Avoidance of school work, including simple tasks 
  • Difficulty with attention and concentration
  • Avoidance of activities enjoyed in the past

Children sometimes learn ways to cope with stressful situations from cues they receive from their peers and adults in their lives. The social isolation required by this pandemic has not been easy, as children and all the adults around them have been greatly impacted by the uncertainties of COVID-19. It is therefore important for parents to first identify any issues and then help their children develop coping strategies that will enable their resilience in dealing with the challenges that covid will continue to create in our lives. 

The University of Colorado School of Medicine offers a number of tips to help support children. They include:  

  • Taking time to talk with your children about the COVID-19 outbreak. Answer questions and share facts about COVID-19 in a way that your child can understand. It’s important to acknowledge their fears and concerns.
  • Reassure them that they are safe. Share with them how you deal with your own stresses so that they can learn from your own coping mechanisms and can approach you when they are concerned or fearful.
  • Limit your child’s exposure to media coverage about COVID-19. Children may misinterpret what they see or hear and may get frightened about something they don’t understand.
  • Make sure you create and maintain a sense of structure and routine, which often provides comfort to children. 
  • Be a role model; take breaks, get plenty of sleep, exercise, and eat well. Connect with your own friends and family members virtually so they can learn to use technology for peer and family support.

We have listed below some additional resources you might find helpful in supporting your children during this time: 

For more resources related to children, teens and homeschooling during this pandemic, please visit our CORONAVIRUS COVID19 RESOURCES page.

National Volunteer Week
Lotus | Sandi Lilly Volunteer Spotlights 2021, Volunteers

Volunteer Spotlight: Amy Cervene

When did you get involved with CEDR?
Amy became involved with the work of providing disaster information to the public through social media, mapping, and rescue facilitation during Hurricane Harvey, and has been volunteering ever since. She’s been working with CEDR since it’s inception.

What are your activities and what do they involve?
Amy is CEDR’s Training Team Lead, providing on demand training and orientation for new volunteers. She introduces them to the software that we use, guides them through the orientation process, and helps create the training materials the organization utilizes.

What motivates you to stay involved?
When asked what she finds most motivating, Amy responded that she’s motivated by “the chance to help people and make a difference, as well as the high standards of the other volunteers. Also, there’s always something different and interesting to do.”

Of what contribution or achievement are you most proud?
Amy is most proud of CEDRs achievements as a group. “We’ve come so far, so fast. FEMA uses our maps now, and they’ve launched a crowdsource unit”.

In your opinion, what is the most important work that this organization does?
Amy believes that the most important work that CEDR does is helping people and animals prepare for disasters, and helping them to find important information during an emergency.

What do you do when you aren’t working and volunteering?
When she isn’t volunteering with CEDR, Amy is an avid birder and volunteers with Colorado Parks and Wildlife. She works with rehabilitating wild birds, as well as keeping their website updated with up-to-date information. She’s also a musician and plays both guitar and ukulele.

National Volunteer Week
Lotus | Sandi Lilly Volunteer Spotlights 2021, Volunteers

Volunteer Spotlight: Sandi Lilly (Lotus)

When did you get involved with CEDR?

I’ve worked with CEDR since 2019, and have been doing volunteer work with hurricane and weather-related information online since 2017. I initially had to cloak my identity online due to domestic violence and opted to use the name Lotus. I chose it from the Thich Nhat Hanh quote “No mud, no lotus.” as it seemed appropriate for my life at the time, and now more people recognize me by “Lotus” online than by my real name. 

What are your activities and what do they involve?

I’m the VP of Volunteer Engagement here at CEDR. I handle finding new volunteers, coordinating with the training team, and keeping everyone engaged. I also currently hold the role of Personal Resiliency Coordinator. I run a channel within Slack that’s dedicated to psychological learning and self-care resources, provide self-care education calls for our volunteers, and provide Critical Incident Stress Management calls during activations as necessary. I’m also available during activations for one on one chats and calls as needed to help our volunteers process the information that they’re seeing online. 

I also assist with fundraising, web design, social media, content writing, and moderating the Slack channels during activations. 

What motivates you to stay involved?

I find the ability to utilize my skills online from home highly motivating, as I can make a difference in real time using modern digital tools. As a disabled individual, it can be difficult to find volunteer opportunities that are a good fit for the skills that I have and that don’t require me to be personally present in order to participate. 

Of what contribution or achievement are you most proud?

I’m most proud of the ever-growing support network that CEDR has developed through the resilience skills that our volunteers learn each week on our educational calls. It’s great to see them encouraging one another to take breaks, get enough rest, enjoy hobbies, and practice self care throughout the week. 

In your opinion, what is the most important work that this organization does?

Our organization fills an informational gap left by other organizations, finding and distributing valuable resources in ways that make them most likely to get to the average citizen quickly and efficiently. In a disaster, this is extremely valuable. Not everyone knows how to get to their state or federal disaster management agency’s information. Most people do know how to use their favorite social media site to find and share information quickly. 

What do you do when you aren’t working and volunteering?

When I’m not working and volunteering, I’m also a homeschooling mother of two. I enjoy spending time with my partners and friends, reading, playing video games, and container gardening.