Healthy Family Resources

Keep your family healthy in body and mind with these resources for healthy eating and tips for parents during this challenging time.

Healthy Eating

It’s important and helpful to set a schedule during these times. Here are some tips from the YMCA on setting structure.

Set a wake up time and breakfast time, try to keep things in the norm.
Set up structured time around studying and academic work, just like a regular school day.
Utilize the materials that will be provided by your children’s schools and teachers.
Set up free time as well. Break up the academics with some free time to play, walk outside, exercise, etc (while still practicing safe social distancing as recommended).
Set a time for lunch, and stick to it. This will help break up the children’s routines and give them a sense of normalcy.
Try and incorporate breathing or meditation or some sort of relaxing activity into the schedule. Normalize anxiety reduction. Normalize these tools. They are helpful for current circumstances, as well as normal day to day things you all experience.
Perhaps try and incorporate journaling into the schedule for each day.
Make the schedule together and keep it posted somewhere in the house where children can see.

Take breaks! Remember, there was no preparing for this. You’re doing the best you can with what you’ve got. It’s okay to feel overwhelmed and feel a need to utilize your own self-care at this time.
It's okay to take breaks from the news outlets and social media. While it is important to stay informed and up to date, it can become overwhelming and scary to constantly be flooded with news stories and information. Take breaks to take care of your mental health!
Communicate with others! Set up video chat dates, calls, and other virtual ways of communicating with friends and other family.
Community is everything, compassion is essential – for others and for yourself.
Reach out when you need support! Ask for help. We all need each other.