Children and, indeed, adults do not have access to their thinking and reasoning skills when they are flooded with emotions.

For adults and children alike, routine and predictability are calming during times of stress.

Globally people are experiencing a different sense of loss too.  I’m basing this discussion on the SCARF model by Cezar Danilevici. 

As the reality of another week of distance learning and disruption of our regular routines sets in this week, I’d like to focus on keeping it simple and go back to some parenting basics.

Whether in Tokyo or abroad, many of us are under self-quarantine. It is important to be aware of cabin fever syndrome – rooted in the feeling of confinement and isolation for an uncertain period of time.

At this time, we would like to encourage our community to take the time to practice self-care.  We might find this to be a highly stressful and challenging period.  We can help manage our anxiety by acknowledging and discussing our feelings about this situation with loved ones or with myself as the KG/ Elementary counselor who is trained and equipped to deal with stressful situations like this.