Survival guide for families in isolation

For many families, this unprecedented time has forced us to review our family routines and how we coexist with each other.

Below are some tips on how to survive Isolation with your family.

When it comes to household chores, work, study time and fun, a schedule can help avoid arguments on whose turn it is to take out the rubbish!

It also creates a routine in which each family member does their part.

If there are younger children in the house, get them involved with household chores or cooking - it will make them feel helpful and start educating them about household responsibilities.

Consider creating a timetable of work or study times for each family member so that younger children have someone around during the day.

This may mean moving between work and study throughout the day, or starting your workday earlier or finishing later.

This is important for harmony in the home as younger children may feel ignored or neglected if work takes precedence.
 

Below are some ideas of how to set up chore charts or work/study charts with your family. Feel free to use these as a guide when making your own!

Create a room or designated area just for work and study.

This will allow you to be more productive and focused during the day as your brain associates that area with work.

Family members will also understand that when you are in your office you are working and shouldn’t be disturbed.

For other ideas on how to work well from home, have a read of our “Working From Home” blog or module.

Another way to battle isolation as a family is to simply talk about your feelings, emotions, and mental state.

Being clear and honest about how you are feeling can limit the chance of conflict and increase empathy in the household.

Teenagers and older children will likely miss their friends and the social interaction they had at school.

They may decide to risk-take in order to ease that pain, by going into public to see them.

Try to explain to your kids why self-isolation is necessary rather than strictly telling them what to do.
 

Tell them why it's important. When children understand why something is happening, they are more likely to follow your lead.

Finally, begin getting comfortable asking for privacy and respecting your family members when they ask for privacy.

Being around people 24/7 can be mentally draining, so it's no surprise that people may want some time to themselves throughout the day.

If privacy is not a question of physical space, consider investing in some noise-cancelling headphones to get lost in your own world and drown out the home-life distractions.

All in all, isolating with your family can be extremely difficult, however, by respecting each other's boundaries and being kind to each other, you may find in this time a silver lining.

If you would like further tips on how you and your family can get through lockdown, have a read of our 'Survival Guide for Families in Isolation' Module below.