How do you manage confinement with families during the coronavirus pandemic?

Dov Benyaacov-Kurtzman hosts The Virtual Conference with guest Jim Lucas

Many individuals and families are struggling with the current lockdown and social distancing restrictions of the coronavirus pandemic.   Whether you are spending all your time with children and partners, exposed to potential harm by being a keyworker, apart from loved ones because you live in different homes, it is a challenging time.

Many more people will suffer from domestic abuse

Many children will suffer greater adverse experiences in respect of abuse and neglect, and many women will suffer an increase in domestic violence.  While it is true that we are all experiencing the same larger problem of how to protect others and ourselves, people’s specific contexts are also very different.

Many of us will have access to gardens or nearby parks, whereas many others will be confined to apartments and flats with no private outdoor area.  Some people have plenty of space and others are over-crowded.

Fear and Anxiety spreads too!

The fear and anxiety that has spread alongside the coronavirus is also harmful to people’s health and well-being.  The stress of uncertainty, bereavement will demand much more from us over the coming weeks and months.  What can we do to help ourselves and our families get through the challenges of prolonged confinement?

In this Facebook Live interview, Jim Lucas explores this question from a personal, practical and scientific experience.  Sharing his challenges, he guides you the viewer to consider your greatest challenge.

How to use empathy and mindful action to build stronger connections

Jim gives credence to the power of empathy and slowing down, two useful tools that help you and your children to cope with their emotions.  Stick around and Jim will take you through a guided mindfulness experiential exercise to help you slow down, take a breath and ground yourself in the here and now.   It isn’t mindfulness for mindfulness’ sake, but an exercise in mindful action to help you navigate your biggest challenge.  Tune in and enjoy the conversation.

PS – you’ll notice that Jim’s internet connection is a little ropey at the start, but it does stabilise soon enough.

Here is what you can expect and when:

• What can parents do to handle the pressure of parenting and working at home? (15 mins)

• How do you help your children to manage emotionally? (20 mins)

• Why empathy is often a more useful to strong emotions than problem-solving (23 mins)

• Building Tiny Habits through daily practice (25 mins)

• How our evolution and culture work against emotional expression (27 mins)

• How people’s context during pandemic is both similar and different (31 mins)

• Here and now, what is your biggest challenge? (33 mins)

• Mindful Awareness Exercise – Notice and Return for Wellbeing (34 mins)