You’re a parent. That’s an incredible role and responsibility – you’ve known this. But wait. You’re also a teacher now. And a chef in demand. And a chauffeur. But also, an emotional support/guide and entertainer. In addition to being an employee, a coworker, a peer. And a friend to others, let us not forgot. A partner, perhaps, too. And…you’re doing all this while remaining sequestered and sane? Hardly.

There’s no playbook for parenting, particularly in a pandemic. In these times, your roles and responsibilities have likely increased, along with your stress (financial, work, home – the list goes on), and all this while you lack access to the coping outlets you have historically enjoyed.

If you’re feeling frayed (at best) and depleted, you’re not alone. There are a number of resources to help – guides for creative activities with your kids, coping outlets in consideration of our current restrictions (like poetry). More than anything, however, coping in this time relies primarily on compassion – the ability to be “good enough” in any one role while keeping your head above water. Compassion may sound like a self-statement that goes something like this:

With all that’s on your plate, and all the roles you’ve had to play, you survived the day. And that, today, is more than enough.