TLDR: There is a stress management video for general stress and a Facebook Live for managing kids
On the 7th April 2020, Singapore introduced a Circuit Breaker to contain and fight Covid 19, and it was supposed to last until 4th May 2020
On the 21st of April 2020 however, the Singapore government has decided to extend the Circuit Breaker until 1st June 2020 instead due to rising cases
And on 24th April 2020, Singapore has crossed a total number of 12,000 over cases (but it’s also the first day cases drop below 1000 cases)
And so, it’s extremely understandable why our government has decided such a course of action
Here’s the tricky bit
How are we coping?
You see, if you are like me, you probably barely stepped out of the house (Yes, I didn’t step out of the house since Circuit Breaker started on 7th April)
Some of you could have gone out to exercise or get groceries which is fine
The question is, eventually, how are we coping as a whole, on a psychologically and emotionally level?
The breakdown is that we humans are primarily social creatures, hence we seek out physical social interaction in one way or another
With the sudden change in how we live day to day, it can create additional stress load on our minds
On top of that, the question of our jobs and businesses
I’ll separate that for a bit
Job holders might fear losing their jobs (even though the government is doing a decent job of helping us financially) while business owners may face a sudden drop or loss in clientele
Of course, it sort of depends what business do you do, but there is a general trend
This can also create financial stress in us as the loss of clientele might mean a loss in income
The next tricky bit, family stress
In Singapore, many of us live with our families and if there are unresolved issues between members, this might cause it to escalate
This can mean more arguments, temper tantrums, etc
(To illustrate, in my neighbourhood, there was one household where a guy was heard shouting and scolding vulgarities while dogs were barking, that happened twice in the first week of Circuit Breaker)
Newly weds fortunately might be exempted from this because everything is new and they can support each other much more easier (congrats to any newly weds this year!)
On the other hand, the foreigners or permanent residents here may or may not be staying with their families in Singapore, and this might create a sense of losing loved ones
The fear of not being able to return home easily and seeing their family is another feeling altogether
What about parents who are guiding and teaching their children during this home based learning period?
But I’ll talk about them later at the end
All these factors coming together can create unnecessary stress and frustration
Now to handle your stress in general, please watch this video
This video is great for helping people handle and deal with the stress in their lives much better~
Truthfully though, this is not enough for some of us
Some of us may develop “mental health issues” as a result of Covid 19, for example hand washing
And I can tell you, I used to have it too
Quick story
So I was still in the army, and currently it’s nighttime and we are preparing to shower and sleep
In fact, I already had a shower and was currently lying in the bed, looking at my phone (I could have been playing a game, I can’t remember now)
And there was someone was standing beside my bed in his underwear
He reached in, gave his privates a rub, took his hand out, and sniffed it, then rubbed his nose and face
And considering his nether regions were literally in the line of sight of my face, I was terribly disgusted (to say the least)
He then asked me, “Eh McKing, ask you ah… why my groin fungal so long never go away ah?”
I was yelling in my mind, “cause you are keeping it’s babies in your nose when you rub your face like that!!!”
Instead I reply, “did you put your medicine yet?”
He said, “Oh i forgot to put” and wanted to just put it in front of me
I shivered and told him to turn away from me
Since that traumatic incident, I was extremely fearful of him touching me or my things because I didn’t want any fungus!
That’s how I got into hand washing for a couple of years
Other mental health relates issues could be hoarding or panic buying due to fear of the unknown
Or even general anxiety or depression due to job and financial stress
In addition, being cooped up at home might make one experience something called “cabin fever”
And that introduces a whole lot of other psychological issues including and not limited to sleep issues, vivid dreams and nightmares, change in eating patterns, headaches, as well as stress, anxiety and frustration again
Which is why I did the stress management video to share with you tips on reducing and managing your stress levels so you can remain calm better
So do watch it if you haven’t already OR if you are experiencing that stress right now
Last but not least, handling kids
This of course, generally applies to parents
If done well, there are little issues to talk about
Otherwise, we can get a mix of stress, frustration, anger, anxiety regarding our kids, the computer, technology in general
Now I want to do a quick highlight that while technology may be good generally, some children might not be able to learn as fast from technology (the chance is there, ok)
You see, each of us have a primary learning style preference, either Visual, Auditory, or Kinesthetic
And while the Home Based Learning could attempt to aid in Visual, Auditory or Kinesthetic, it might not be able to help as much with the students who learn through kinesthetic methods
Of course, ultimately, it also depends on the individual teachers to set up the lesson plan and conduct their class
Which admittedly might be a bit tricky as each school may not have a standard of how to do it just yet
(Do give them time and be understanding if you do find the teachers for your children have so many different ways to do their home based learning as well as homework submission yea? I understand it can be frustrating but let’s tahan together through this period)
With all the stress and frustration build up, our mental resilience is really being tested
(And we’ve already seen some videos of people running around naked or rolling in grass… as well as the public arguments and fights happening)
So before push goes to shove, do know that I will always be here to have a chat whenever you want to š
(But if you text at midnight, I might be sleeping so give me a few hours to reply yea? hahaha)
Anyway, I did the stress management video to aid everyone in general to reduce and relieve stress
So here’s something special for parents
(And teachers too I supposed)
I want to do a Facebook Live for a parenting communication workshop
“How to Talk To Your Kids To Get Them To Do What You Want”
That is admittedly a very long title but it’s quite self explanatory
Here’s the event link on Facebook where you can register your interest and attendance
I hope that this can help parents to communicate better with their kids and this reduces the overall stress and frustration within the family
Oh yea, you can bring your questions to the tables too if you have any
I’ll try to answer them as best as I can
For the teachers, this might be helpful when class restarts and you see them again
I initially did a version of this workshop for about 80 parents, teachers (mainly preschool but there are a couple of primary and secondary teachers too) and youth volunteers
A few took my namecard, and a couple days later, one preschool teacher text me and said she applied what I shared and it worked beautifully well
According to her, previously she couldn’t get them to settle down properly but my tips allowed her to get the kids to settle down fast and quiet!
All in all, I’ll be glad if my tips can help you to smoothen the stress and tension when dealing with children and more than happy to share with you in this Facebook Live Event!
So do join us here and I’ll see you there!
PS. Bring questions if any
