There’s no doubt that 2020 has been a strange and stressful year. Parenting, work, relationships, and personal health have never been harder than two decades into the 21st century. Of course, this uniquely challenging time is primarily due to the ongoing pandemic which has thrown a curveball into everyone’s lives, leaving parents, in particular, with their hands extremely full.
The Unique Challenges of Parenting in 2020
The average parent has always been a busy bee. However, COVID-19 has managed to increase the quantity and complexity of adult responsibilities exponentially. How so? Let’s count the ways:
- Parents from all walks of life are suddenly working from home, often with no other option.
- Children are schooling from home en masse, with parents being asked to remain intimately involved in the homeschooling activities.
- Cleaning, caring, and homemaking, in general, have become more intense as living spaces are being used around the clock.
- Romantic relationships become strained as quarantines keep individuals cramped in close quarters with children constantly scampering around their feet as they all shelter-in-place together.
- Relationships with friends and extended family have suffered as social distancing keeps everyone both apart and afraid to come in contact with one another.
Needless to say, there is a lot of stuff that is exacerbating the already natural challenges that come with working, caring for dependents, and being the head of a household.
Finding Balance in the Chaos
While it’s easy to point out all of the reasons that chaos reigns in the average home right now, it’s a bit more challenging to come up with ways to ameliorate the insanity. Fortunately, despite the uniquely difficult situation, there are quite a few ways to restore a sense of balance to the chaos.
Let Go of Perfection
This may sound like an obvious one to most parents struggling to keep up, let alone be perfect. However, the inner desire to be the best as a parent, spouse, coworker, friend, and so on can quietly and nastily eat away at your inner peace.
The first step in finding balance is reviewing your inner motivations and then surrendering that nasty need for perfection to the Lord.
Keep a Universal Schedule
Often the greatest factor contributing to the chaos is the simple fact that so many different aspects of your life are constantly overlapping. You can help restore a sense of order to things by creating a master schedule.
If you have other adults or teenagers living with you, consider making a schedule with an app like Google Calendar so that you can both share it with everyone and allow them to add their activities, as well.
Set Up Boundaries
With multiple responsibilities constantly demanding your attention, it’s important to set up clear boundaries as you tend to everything all from within the same four walls of your home.
For instance, make sure you have a clear space dedicated to work and other areas for family recreation. It’s even wise to keep your bedroom or at least your bed specifically reserved for sleeping.
Find Ways to Unwind Alone and Together
With the business of life constantly swirling, it can feel like there is never any downtime. And the truth is, you likely won’t find it unless you plan it in. After all, breaks are an essential part of work-life balance.
That said, make sure to schedule in time to unwind. Some of this should be focused on your family. Look for unique, social-distance-appropriate activities that you can do together. Download a geocaching app or get some high-quality tungsten-based golf clubs and go to an outdoor driving range.
Additionally, make sure to carve out time to let yourself rest, get sleep, exercise, and consume healthy, wholesome food.
Address Your Professional Schedule
Finally, if things are too crazy, look for ways to ease the tension via your professional responsibilities. Take advantage of flexible, remote work schedules. Delegate responsibilities whenever possible, and remember to let go of that pesky need for perfection.
If you’ve lost your employment due to the current crisis, you can also use that as an opportunity to look for a new job that better fits your parenting lifestyle. For instance, if you’re a nurse, there are numerous flexible and convenient healthcare jobs, such as being a school nurse or lab tech assistant, that can help you better balance patient care and parenting.
Acknowledging the Importance of Balance
If you can claim even some of the titles of parent, employee, spouse, friend, or family member, there’s no doubt that 2020 has been a crazy year for you. Rather than buckle under the pressure, though, it’s important to take steps to help you thrive in the chaos.
From adjusting work schedules to finding time to unwind as a family to maintaining a schedule, setting up boundaries, and letting go of the need for perfection, there are countless ways to regain a sense of calm and normalcy in your life. So step back, size up your current situation, and begin restoring order to the chaos to help you and your loved ones navigate the current crisis with success.
I’m a 20-something stay-at-home mother and wife. I have an amazing husband, a beautiful daughter, two loving dogs, and a lazy cat. I wouldn’t change my life for anything! I love to read, listen to music, cook and blog!
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