• By Shae King
• Posted Tuesday, July 21, 2020

Family Life & COVID-19: Managing Stress and Anxiety

COVID-19 has impacted our daily routines and structure. So many changes have taken place over the past couple of months in response to the global pandemic. Schools are closed and now, many parents and caregivers have transitioned to working from home. Adjusting to this new normal can lead to stress and even trigger anxiety.

Extension Specialist, Dr. Kim Allen says we can undergo three types of stress:

Positive Stress: This is the day-to-day stress we need to get out of bed and write a blog post or do whatever it is we do on a daily basis.

Tolerable Stress: My guess is that this is where the majority of people are as they transition to the new normal. This is serious stress that is temporary and buffered by supportive relationships in our lives.

Toxic Stress: When people have chronic stress that happens without supportive relationships, it is toxic. Prolonged toxic stress results in compromised immune systems and is generally bad for people’s health and well-being as it massively increases in cortisol (good in small doses; bad in large doses). Toxic stress makes us lose our body’s ability to shut down the stress reaction and can make us sick.

Stress affects us all differently and we each react to it in our own way. Some individuals are able to push through the stress and sudden changes, while others may have more difficulty adjusting and pushing through.

Below, you will find the link to the full article by Dr. Kim Allen, called Coping with Stress and Anxiety in Family Life During COVID-19.

https://fcs.ces.ncsu.edu/2020/03/combating-stress-and-anxiety-in-family-life-during-covid-19/

In this article, you will find more information and tips on:
Key Strategies for Stress Reduction
When There are Children in the Home
Recommend Parenting Strategies
Strategies Especially Relevant for COVID-19