Overwhelmed with parenting during a pandemic? Here are 6 evidenced-based tips that might help reduce stress and support relationships right now. (... brought to you by one emotion-filled family of child psychologists)

1) Give *more* physical affection like hugs, hand-holding, lap-sitting books, or high fives. Science increasingly points to the power of physical touch from primary caregivers as key to helping children cope with stress. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1467-7687.2009.00890.x

2) Encourage emotion-focused communication.
Are you feeling tired, happy, nervous, frustrated? Share this at an age appropriate level: "I'm feeling sad that I can't see my friends today which makes me tired. I'm going to call them later, which will help me feel better"

3) Tell your kiddos what TO do. It's easier to notice all the things that are going wrong. Kids respond best if you can tell them what specifically to do "Wow you have a lot of energy! Can I time how long it takes you to do 20 jumping jacks?"

4) Notice what your kids are doing right Praise and verbal affection are important to give children attention for what they are doing well. Particularly when conflict may be higher, aim to maintain a 4:1 ratio of noticing good to not-so-good aspects of behaviour.

5) Take a step back if you're feeling overwhelmed - It's hard to respond in a regulated way when you're heated or distressed. It's OK to walk away from a tough situation to go to the bathroom or splash your face with water before trying to problem solve with your family.

6) Apologize when appropriate - Big emotions and reactive language can happen to everyone. It's helpful to model saying sorry when you can't prevent an outburst from happening and then move on with your day. Blasting Disney music may help.

Further paper references here... https://psycnet.apa.org/buy/2019-69134-001 ; https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12671-016-0504-1 ; https://srcd.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/cdev.12064?casa_token=ZxzsomGDc9wAAAAA%3AosMVEuPCUP8wSiLht4OURDYHRws6r1tpqwudWTsf-faYYzENvlmvetBRQdjT0fU7lTOC46lRnEPpDQ ; https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-319-71210-9_5 ; https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/j.1469-7610.2010.02303.x?casa_token=NUsCvkB5WBAAAAAA%3A62E5k5pktoVori7pcW7HQdQaIlSe4Zih_8EnxQADDyQUoIfSsLtW560Hgh39m1c2s8wlnwBCBhbBzA