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Who is feeling COVID-19 Fatigue?

 

Photo by Ketut Subiyanto from Pexels

“When is this going to end? “  

“I have had enough of this already!” 


If you have spoken with anyone within the last several months you have probably heard something along these lines. Earlier this year we were all thrust into uncertainty with the onset of a pandemic for which none of us were really prepared.  The repercussions have been great and many have been affected in some way.  Having lived in the “new normal” for about seven months with no clear end in sight, many of us are simply getting tired of it all. We have had to make many adjustments in many areas of our lives, including wearing masks, social distancing, more frequent hand-washing, working from home, staying home to care for your loved ones...the list is endless.    


Patient stress 

Children have had to adapt quickly to new changes within their homes, schools, and communities. Many of these unexpected changes may contribute to anxiety and stress they feel on a daily basis. Additional stress may come from seeing their parents stressed, adapting to on-line school, or the anxiety of being back at school in-person. As we work with children, it is important to be aware of some of the areas that may be contributing to stress we see during therapy sessions. Here are some tips that may help a child feel more at ease during a therapy session: 

  1. Allow a child more time to process information and to respond 
  2. Begin the session with a positive or funny task 
  3. Let the child know sometimes we have stressful days and we understand 
  4. Provide an additional break 1-3 minute break between activities, if applicable 


Parent/caregiver stress 

Many of you can relate to hearing and seeing parents more stressed since the beginning of COVID-19. It helps to consider challenges and stressors they may be facing as we decide how to go about building rapport and understanding them during therapy sessions. Some parents by be facing unemployment, learning technology for the first time, worrying about in-school child safety, and dealing with daily parenting stressors. These stressors may present themselves as overwhelmed parents that may forget about their child’s scheduled session, arrive late, may seem short and frustrated, have less patience with technical troubleshooting for teletherapy, or may seem not as flexible with therapy treatment. The following tips may help with building and maintaining good rapport with parents during these uncertain and overwhelming times:  

  1. Listening to a parent express their concerns or worries for a couple of minutes goes a long way 
  2. Keep a resource list handy to provide to parents when need (local mental health number or community assistance programs)
  3. In cases where parents possibly begin to “no show” or “cancel” sessions, set aside a time to schedule a meeting or call, to check in on them

Therapy-Life Balance 

As with the optimal work-life balance many of us try to achieve, the same can be said for therapy in the context of people’s lives.  Therapy is a critical component of many children’s lives; however, in the case of those that participate in online school/structured online learning, sitting at a computer for an additional 30-45 minutes with your speech and language professional may be the last thing you want to do.  Some tips/ideas to help maintain a good balance may include: 

  1. Exercising for a few minutes between school and therapy 
  2. Going outside to breathe some fresh air 
  3. Playing a board game  
  4. Engaging in an electronic-free hands-on activity   


If you or someone you know needs the services of a licensed and certified speech-language pathologist, please be sure to discuss your concerns with a physician, a speech-language pathologist, or another qualified provider. You can also find a provider through the ASHA ProFind service or visit us at www.bilingualspeech.org for more information. Additional information on this topic can be found at https://mhahouston.org/covid19help/.  NOTE: This article is intended only as a general source of information, i.e, it is not intended to replace information given to you by a qualified health professional that is familiar with your particular circumstances. Lastly, if you have an urgent medical need, please seek immediate medical attention. 


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