Schooling at home. This is not something that you expected. This is not something you were prepared for. And this is certainly not something that you signed up for! For now, COVID-19 has rearranged the way we live, and schooling at home is a new demand that thousands of families face.

Momentous Institute has decades of experience working with students, teachers and families, and we have gathered insights that may help families navigate this period in children’s education.

Each day, we’ll share a new school at home tip, one small thing you can do each day to manage anxiety (for yourself and your children), and thrive in this new experience.

Today’s Tip: Acknowledge Your Feelings

Any feelings you may have at this moment in time are perfectly acceptable. Perhaps you feel overwhelmed at the prospect of homeschooling. Perhaps you feel incapable. Perhaps you feel anxious. Frustrated. Confused.

Any and all of these emotions are fair. Take a moment to tune into your emotions. If you can, find a quiet place in your home or step outside for a few minutes. Close your eyes or lower them to the floor to minimize distraction. Then breathe in and out and say in your mind, “I feel…” Allow words to come to your mind. Acknowledge them. Say them in your mind or out loud.

Try not to judge the feelings that you call to mind. Do not think, “I feel overwhelmed. I shouldn’t feel overwhelmed! Other people have it much worse. Get it together!” Instead, do your best to simply name the feeling and allow it to sit in your mind.

Acknowledging our feelings is the first step to managing them. If we can tune into our bodies and minds and observe what we’re feeling, we can then appropriately respond. If we skip this step, we may find that we’re responding to the wrong feeling altogether. For example, we may be responding to the feeling of anger, when what we’re really feeling is hurt.

We encourage you to tune in to your feelings frequently, once per day if possible. You may find that you have the same feelings from day to day, or that they change. This is important. Notice them and don’t judge them. We’re all in a place of big feelings at this moment in time. You won’t be alone if you’re feeling something you’re not used to feeling. In order to best show up for children, we have to acknowledge our own feelings and manage our responses to them. The best way to start is to notice it and name it.