2020 was a difficult year and 2021 seems to be following suit so far. The coronavirus and Covid-19 pandemic is still in full force and many of us are finding that we’re growing tired of dealing with the consequences of this virus spreading across the world.
While there is hope thanks to the new vaccines being rolled out worldwide, there may be a few more months yet that we have to accept social distancing, social isolation, lockdowns, and other measures to keep ourselves and others healthy and safe. Of course, by now, many families are beginning to struggle in many ways. The good news is that there are ways to get your family through this ordeal.
To help you achieve this, here are a few struggles that many people are experiencing and a few pieces of advice that can help you to deal with them in as healthy and positive a way as possible!
Financial Struggles
Let’s start out with one of the most common difficulties people are facing right now – financial struggles.
At the end of the day, many of us have lost work during this pandemic. Some of us have lost our jobs. Some of us have been made redundant. Some of us have had to accept reduced salaries to keep our positions. Some of us have had to agree to shorter working hours (and consequent smaller pay packets at the end of each month).
This, in turn, has resulted in many of us having to alter our lifestyles in order to pay the bills. If you haven’t yet, it’s time to re-budget to make sure that you can afford everything that you and your family need in your lives. This may mean reducing unnecessary spending and focusing on the essentials instead. You may also want to look into ways to earn more money if you need it.
This could include taking on freelance work, part-time roles at different companies, or setting up your own venture selling homemade goods. If you find that you are still struggling, you may need to borrow some money. If you take this approach, make sure to use a responsible and reliable lender like Plenti.
Make sure you know the interest rates attached to any loan or credit card you take out and ensure that you can meet minimum monthly payments.
Home Schooling
Around the world, many children are finding that their schools have been closed to reduce the spread of the virus.
This means that many are turning to learning at home. This is a completely different approach to education than many of us have experienced previously and you may be worrying that your child may fall behind when they are unable to be in the classroom.
What’s important to keep at the forefront of your mind is that you shouldn’t put any pressure on yourself or your children. At the end of the day, all other children their age and in their school and surrounding schools will be in the exact same situation.
Your child won’t fall behind. Instead, curriculums will be adjusted and they will be able to catch up once they’re back in. If you want to try to keep them learning on a day to day basis, reach out to their school or teachers and see if they have any recommendations.
They may be able to give you a syllabus or activities to help your little ones learn from home.
Working from Home
Many of us have also found ourselves working from home. Remote working is a big change for many of us, as prior to the pandemic, the vast majority of people worked from brick and mortar stores, offices, or other commercial premises. But working from home is possible and is a great way to keep your family financially on track.
Here are some tips that can help you to remain productive and professional, as well as maintaining a healthy work-home life balance.
- Set yourself strict working hours. This will make sure that you only work your dedicated working hours and that you don’t end up giving up your evenings and personal time for work.
- Make sure you take breaks. It can be easy to take too many or too few breaks while working from home. So, create a schedule with set breaks included. This will ensure that you don’t overwork and that you don’t underwork.
- Set boundaries. Working from home with your family in the house can see constant distractions. If your kids are supervised or old enough to keep themselves occupied, make sure that they know they shouldn’t interrupt you while you’re working unless it’s important.
- Create a workspace. This will help to create a divide from home and work. Avoid working in leisure or relaxation areas, such as from bed or the sofa. Instead, work from a table or desk if possible.
Exercise and Fitness
We all know that the average adult should get roughly one hundred and fifty minutes of moderate aerobic exercise per week, or seventy five minutes of vigorous aerobic exercise a week.
But this is proving increasingly difficult when many gyms, sports clubs, and fitness classes have been closed or canceled. Many of our main sources of fitness have been removed and we’re beginning to feel a little lost. The good news is that there are plenty of workouts you can do from home or from outside (as long as you keep your distance from others).
You could try walking, jogging or running around your local area. You could cycle. You could invest in some home workout equipment and try a home workout. There are plenty of free online tutorials that will guide you through HIIT workouts, circuit training, yoga practices, pilates, and much more. So, find something that you’re interested in and try it out! Of course, be careful and ease into the exercise. You don’t want to hurt yourself or burn yourself out.
These, of course, are just a few suggestions. Different options will work for different people. But hopefully, at least a few of the pieces of advice will come in useful for you and will help you and your family out in some way throughout this pandemic!