IMPACT OF COVID-19 ON MENTAL HEALTH OF CHILDREN
Having a normal life sounds like an easy and simple goal. Everyday life may be described as your usual life, routine, natural, habitual, like walking around, chatting with friends, watching movies doing work attending school or college, visiting your favorite restaurants, or anything in normal life. Before the pandemic, the people and the children were having a normal life but now the situation is completely different in every aspect. On the 11th of March 2020, the world health organization declared the pandemic grade of a new type of coronavirus 2(SARS- CoV-2) infection (covid-19). The whole world is affected by this pandemic and in India, march is the month of annual examinations and reports, the school prepares for the next semester as well as new admissions but the situation is completely different from the past year. The situation affected everyone equally like people in jobs, women as a housewife, daily wage laborers, and the employees in production units but the worst affected were our school-going children. The adults are adapting themselves gradually and it is quite difficult for our kids to be trapped in their own house. They miss their friends as well as their teachers and the super enthusiastic environment of their school. Sometimes they miss outdoor games, participating in different activities like painting, drawing, singing, and dancing. And the most important thing that got missed was the daily routine. A routine designed by the school to foster and develop kids in the right direction. A School is a place for developing a basic foundation of knowledge being imparted to a child. School gives a chance to children to acquire knowledge in various fields of education, like literature, history, mathematics, science, computer, and other subjects. Staying at home, and in most cases not attending school, creates a uniquely stressful situation for children. Carefully developed routines have been disrupted; support networks have disintegrated; and parents have been asked to do work that trained teachers to find challenging, without any training. It is therefore important to think about how COVID-19 is affecting the mental health of these families.
Children love to play and by playing they built confidence, imagination, and self-expression. We all know that for right and healthy brain development play is very much important. Play allows children to use their creativity while growing their imagination, physical activities, cognitive, and emotional strength. It is through play that children at a very early age engage and interact with the social world around them.
Dealing with the unknown fear
COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown have brought about a sense of fear and anxiety around the globe. It is natural to feel stress when we face a crisis, the unknown, or sudden change around us. Communication should be a priority. Let them explain things and discuss without any hesitation and fear because talking with your kids or a healthy discussion about COVID-19 can help them understand what’s happening, lighten some of their fears, and help them feel safe and begin to cope because children’s minds are not engaged enough. they do not have an option for outdoor games or peers, who could distract them from despair. it is our duty to give them proper information about the virus infection and its precautions because they are dealing with their own fear. Fear of losing their parents, fear of suffering from the infection, fear of being quarantined due to infection, and so on.
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