Category: Daily Dose

Tom Sweitzer knows firsthand how social isolation and loneliness are real side effects of living through a pandemic — just as mental health professionals have warned. After he tested positive for the coronavirus last July and recovered from the worst of his initial symptoms, Sweitzer joined a COVID-19 support group on Facebook to help him deal with the condition’s lingering effects.

As he watched people join “by the hundreds every day,” he decided to start another support group where he could incorporate his skills as a music therapist.

Music therapy treatments, tailored to each patient’s needs, can involve creating, singing, moving to and/or listening to music in ways that have been shown to promote physical and psychological healing. Research has shown the reduction in pain and stress from such treatments can be profound.

Interested in learning more? Visit the full story at https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2021/02/13/965644120/music-therapy-brings-solace-to-covid-19-patients-and-healers.

A group of promising elementary school students will soon publish the first book with some help from Maine’s most famous writer, Stephen King. King views this as helping these children cope with COVID through the art of writing. His foundation, along with number of groups from the Lewiston, Maine area, have sent donations that will be used for the Author Studies program to cover the $6,500 cost of publishing a 290-page book written by students participating in Farwell Elementary School’s Author Studies Program. This manuscript started with a story written by the elementary students entitled “Fletcher McKenzie and the Passage to Whole,” which reflects experiences of the students during the pandemic.

Learn more here and see the description and preview of the book here.

The Pandemic Journaling Project is a combined journaling platform and research study that lets anyone, anywhere in the world create a weekly journal of the coronavirus pandemic, while also putting their story on the record as part of a historical archive. Participants contribute by writing, uploading photos, or recording audio on their phones. So far, over 700 people in more than 30 countries have participated. All are welcome, and we are especially eager to hear from those who are especially vulnerable to COVID-19, who are on the front lines of COVID-19 response, and/or whose stories might not otherwise be recorded.

No computer is needed — just a smartphone. Weekly email (or text/SMS) reminders invite participants to contribute, and participation only takes about 10-15 minutes a week. The platform runs in English and Spanish, but entries can be created in any language. Participants can log in securely to download their journals at any time, and they choose whether to keep entries private or give permission to share them publicly on our Featured Entries page. 

To learn more, or to start journaling now, please visit our website. If you have questions, you can reach us at PandemicJournalingProject@gmail.com. 

More links:

• Check out a short video about PJP.
• Read this article about PJP — or this student-led piece.
• Check out our Educator Resource page.

Even before his daughter Rasa was born, Jeremy Smith says he couldn’t wait to teach her important life lessons. A decade later, Jeremy admits he has a lot to learn from his daughter. As soon as he learned that he would become a father, Jeremy Smith thought he knew what to do. But a decade later, Mr. Smith admits he has lots to learn from his daughter, Rasa. So last March, when Rasa started remote learning from home, the two of them created a podcast called “You Must Know Everything.” While sheltering at home this past spring, they began to share everything the other needed to know to get through life. Read more about Rasa and Jeremy smith at NPR.org or listen to their podcast from their website youmustknoweverything.com.

Parents are dealing with huge demands on their time and energy. Children may not be attending school or involved in regular activities. As the pandemic continues to wreak havoc on families, routines have collapsed, patience is wearing thin and self-care is a distant memory.

The folks at PBS News Hours have compiled a list of 10 parenting strategies to reduce your kids’ pandemic stress. Click the previous link for the full article, features details on how to implement each of these approaches. Our take-away? Do not feel pressured to be excelling at all of these, all the time. Pick one per week to focus on as your and your child build your coping repertoire.

1. Connect with one another – Make time to talk, listen and play without distractions (put your and their screens away for at least 30 minutes of play)
2. Support children’s friendships – Let them play together outdoors, talk via technology or play a video game virtually with friends. Only kids can really get how other kids are feeling right now.
3. Find ways children can help others – through donations, kind acts, or any way you can imagine.
4. Help children stay involved in clubs or groups – Many have felt disconnected throughout the last year, outdoors or virtual clubs help kids feel part of something.
5. Stay in touch with important adults – Children benefit from relationships with other grown-ups, like grandparents and teachers. Don’t feel that you have to care for them alone.
6. Keep up with hobbies – Boredom is a parent’s worst enemy. Having an enjoyable hobby is rewarding for kids; it provides engaging leisure time and opportunities to master something. 
7. Be physically active – Make exercise a part of family routines. Take walks or ride bikes, play active video games like Wii, go to the park, stretch or do yoga together.
8. Create routines – Routines are a powerful nonverbal signal to children’s brains that they are safe and that life is predictable. Keeping a routine can reduce the number of conflicts, and children know what to do and expect during different points of the day.
9. Keep realistic expectations for learning – While schoolwork is indeed important, not all learning takes place in class. Involve children in opportunities to learn during everyday tasks such as cooking (measuring, timing), gardening, shopping (figuring sales prices, adding), and games (cards, dominoes, board games) that build memory and thinking skills.
10. Maintain a healthy and safe home – In addition to maintaining COVID-19 precautions, make nutritious meals, declutter and organize toys, games, hobby supplies and learning materials. 

Traditional school stores might offer snacks and knickknacks, school gear and notebooks — but the one at Linda Tutt High School in Sanger, Texas, has a very different inventory and clientele.

At Linda Tutt you can get everything from produce, milk and eggs to pasta, peanut butter and canned goods to dishwasher soap and laundry detergent. Students and staff can shop there, but on Tuesdays the store is open to the community.

And it’s all free.

“I like seeing their smiles, seeing how appreciative they are, and knowing that they are thankful that we’re doing something like this,” said Hunter Weertman, a 16-year-old junior who stocks shelves and takes inventory at the store housed in an unused art room. It has been open since November..

Read more about the efforts of the students of Hunter and the rest of the student at Linda Tutt High School at APNews.com.

“Panger” or “Pangry” is a new word gaining momentum on social media. It refers to the anger one feels each time we encounter some aspect of the pandemic that we feel has negatively impacted our lives. This is a feeling that has come up for many when they large groups continue to gather indoors for maskless get-togethers or otherwise ignore the public health recommendations that many of us have painfully adhered to for the last year. But what do we do when we begin to notice anger toward others who are not following the same rules we are? Recently, journalist Kelsey Borresen spoke with a variety of professionals to help us understand this phenomenon and respond tin the most effective ways possible. These are summarized below, and you can read the full article at huffpost.com.