Due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the University of Wyoming has closed, leaving students, teachers and the community stranded at home with their housemates.
“The main adjustment that has been made, by my husband and I, is that we build in time for personal space to do our own things,” said Erica Keller, a student at UW.
With schools and many businesses closed down, many families are finding themselves isolated at home with one another.
“Have some direct conversations when everybody is calm to negotiate new boundaries and expectations for sharing space and spending time. Then be flexible and open to changing those again if they are not working after a few weeks,” said Carolyn Pepper, a professor of clinical psychology and director of clinical training at UW.
San Antonio’s KSAT news service reported Childsafe, a San Antonio child trauma-care center, expects child abuse to rise during the COVID-19 quarantine period
There are many useful tips for parents to maintain a cool demeanor while living with their children. These were created by Forbes as a way to help parents. Timetables could be used to keep children on a schedule, vision boards, the use of positive affirmation and reading to children can help keep education alive and to work on mental health while staying indoors.
“Establishing and following routines can be very helpful in times of stress and uncertainty. Although binging Netflix all day can be fun for a couple of days, we feel better about ourselves when we are doing things that bring us a sense of accomplishment or enjoyment,” said Pepper. Riding a bike, cleaning, reading or doing school work were her suggestions for keeping busy.
A United Kingdom divorce lawyer predicted the divorce rates following the quarantine period should also go up, according to Consumer News and Business Channel. Each of these increases were related to natural breaks within the school year, including Christmas. These increases would come about as an effect of stressful financial problems similar to the ones that arise during Christmas.
“I would say to try and find something new to do,” said Keller. “In any case, I and my husband had chosen to not let COVID-19 ruin us or our moods.” Keller said, and her husband do this with games such as puzzle races, throw darts, a birthday scavenger hunt and play video games together.
On the other hand, the Vox reported the effects of some isolated groups have resulted in romantic relationships. This is because of the convenient location to one another and seeing other people outside of the household would be considered breaking social distancing.
“It is important to remember that this is not just a snow day. This is how we are going to be living for the next few weeks or months,” said Pepper.
