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Tips for smoother lockdown living

By MiC Carine 05/04/2020
Lockdown Living

Congratulations to us all…two weeks of official lockdown are behind us

To be exact, it’s been three weeks of stay-at-home since schools closed down. What an achievement! (who would have thought we’d ever have to celebrate such a feat)

By now we will all have adapted to indoor confinement with various degrees of success – however we may define success for ourselves – and with previous comfort patterns no longer relevant, we’ve all had to carve out new parameters for our family lives to evolve in.

If you haven’t yet implemented some of these strategies in your home, you might find a couple of our suggestions useful.

Stop talking about corona virus all the time

Remember the never-ending news cycles about Brexit? Climate change? War in Syria? Migrant crisis? They don’t seem so important to the media anymore now, do they? Yet they all remain out there, none of these issues have suddenly gone away. There’s still more to life than the coronavirus. As much as possible, try to maintain a sense of new-normal in your home. Not just for your own personal mental health, but it helps provide a sense of stability and consistency for your children, no matter their age. We’ve mentioned the importance of limiting our use of social media in order to keep all that negativity and confusion out of our hearts. The same actually applies to the TV news channels, especially the overly dramatic ones. The situation is bad, and it will get worse before it gets better. As far as this virus is concerned, we don’t need anyone telling us over and over again.

Yes, school is important, but there’s more to life than that

If you have the privilege of your children being schooled online, you’re probably already in some sort of a set morning frame. Home schooling is undoubtedly filled with its very own multitude of new challenges…but let’s not get into those…just remember that children across the world are being kept home, a large number of them will fall behind academically, fact. The schools are aware and will adjust the course accordingly. It doesn’t matter so much right now, honestly. Let’s use the time to also teach our offspring the much lacking life skills. How to boil an egg, cook pasta, make a bed, change a tyre, sew on a button, manage our money – the list is endless, and these topics are just as important (if not more so!). Recap on the day, give everyone a chance to say what they liked and disliked, use the info to shape an improved tomorrow.

Everyone needs Me Time and personal space

No matter how much love there is to go around in your household, being on top of each other 24/7 can become ‘interesting’ for any family. Even more so if you haven’t got the added space of a balcony or garden, and/or have multiple children but not enough rooms for everyone to retreat to for a little privacy. Why not assign each member of your household a specific area in your home that’s exclusive to them, a safe space they can use if they do not want to communicate and prefer to be alone? For younger kids this can be a ‘cave’ under the dining room table, a ‘tent’ pitched over the bathtub or anything else that works for you. Time to let them get really creative and respect their choices, however crazy they seem to you.

Once the ‘novelty’ of home isolation wears off, establish a new routine

Who doesn’t love a pyjama day or two (or more)?! Pure bliss. Constant munching and grazing?! Bring it on. Maybe a wineglass, cocktail, beer or two? Or three? Yep. But about that…weeks into the lockdown, this really should stop for the sake of our mental and physical health. A structured day is an important contributor to feeling in control, despite the fact that nothing much is up to us anymore. Once you’ve binged on the new-found freedom from the alarm clock, timetables and to-do-lists (in case you’re not working from home), find a new routine to suit the needs of everyone in the family. The best way to do this is together. Brainstorm, prioritise and decide how to move forward, so that everyone’s basic needs are met. Determine a group hour every evening where one of you is in charge of entertainment and gets to pick the game to play, movie to watch or music to listen to – together.

Bend the old screen time rules and pick your battles

Let’s face it, screen time restrictions that worked in BC times (aka Before Corona) cannot be considered reasonable today. Online schooling already adds a considerable amount of computer hours to our children’s daily lives. Don’t feel guilty about allowing more online entertainment than you would normally – it’s not their fault that the quota is reached so quickly. Instead, maybe (if needed) fun screen time could be used as a positive motivator or reward for your kids’ morning class efforts. If you haven’t done so yet, research new websites, educational games and online courses for them to use productively. The internet is awash with free stuff like never before. Unusual times call for unusual methods, and as soon as our movement restrictions are lifted, the weather will be fantastic for spending entire days outdoors again. Save your sanity for the more important stuff that possibly needs addressing – whatever this may be in your home.

Make it memorable for the right reasons

This staying at home thing has to be considered a marathon in order to shift our mindsets out of a passive mode into an empowered one. You can finally learn Greek! Take that online course! Read that book! Learn to play the guitar that’s been in the corner all these years! Blablabla? Yes, it’s not all rosy. Because if we’re truly honest, when we finally emerge at the end of this tunnel, nothing will ever be as it was in this world. We’re living history, writing the pages of tomorrow’s chronicles, living a bit of the future even. And while the global economy will be redefined, some of us will lose our jobs and have to find new ways to sustain a living. But then again, ‘different’ can also become ‘better’. Give your lockdown a soundtrack and dance.

A note on what to do if nothing works

Should your personal circumstances be of a nature that makes this lockdown period mentally or physically unbearable to you, it is vital to remember none of this is your fault. Do not be ashamed or blame yourself. Please, please find the strength deep within you to ask for help. Take your phone to the toilet or bathroom for a personal moment if you can, and get in touch with these confidential helplines

Cyprus Samaritans phone 80 00 77 73

Domestic Violence phone 1440

Children and Teenagers until 18 years phone 116 111

MiC’s #WednesdayWin – 365 Days of Positivity

By MiC Carine 22/11/2019

Time for a new #WednesdayWin!

Have you ever received a present so unique and unusual, it made you think ‘I am totally going to buy that for all my friends!!’?

A present that makes you smile, makes you think, makes you talk about with your kids?

A present that’s hand-made, created with love, right here in Cyprus?

Well, a very sweet friend recently gave me such an amazing present for my milestone birthday, and I enjoy it every day.

Meet the gift that keeps on giving: ‘365 Days of Positivity’, or, as I call it ‘The Happiness Jar’

It is filled to the brim with inspirational quotes, a daily dose of motivation or quite simply, a smile. Handcrafted by Soulgift365, this jar is  suitable for any occasion, be it birthdays, weddings, christenings, namedays, or just as a gift to yourself 😊

The lovely Maria Constantinou, creator of the happiness jar, has recently added a family version with quotes more suitable for children. Taken from Disney movies, much loved children’s books or rhymes, these are words of wisdom that the little ones can recognise.

…and because we just love original ideas and support entrepreneurial women, we are delighted to be offering you the chance to win your very own 365 Days of Positivity jar! We have two of these amazing presents up for grabs: one Original version and one Family version.

How can I win this amazing prize?

To enter the competition, simply email: carine@mumsincyprus.com with “365 Days of Positivity” in the subject line.

Please also provide us with:

  1. Your full name
  2. The town you reside in (in Cyprus)
  3. Your mobile telephone number
  4. Your preference for the Original or Family version (though availability cannot be guaranteed)

THE COMPETITION WILL CLOSE ON TUESDAY, DECEMBER 3 2019 AT 17:00!

The winner will be drawn and announced on or after Wednesday December 4th.

If you don’t want to wait until then and prefer to get your hands on a 365 Days of Positivity jar sooner, you can order one directly from Soulgift365 here.

Good luck 🙂

p.s. you’re welcome!

 

The Paradox of our Time

By MiC Carine 22/05/2019

‘We’ve been all the way to the moon and back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet the new neighbor.’

 

How come we have more of everything, yet have become poorer in so many ways? The following essay ‘The Paradox of our Time’ was originally written by Dr. Bob Moorehead, a former pastor in the US, and published in 1995. A friend sent it to me in an email about 6 years ago, but reading it again now feels more relevant than ever.

I am re-posting this today, along with a few alternative, positive ‘mores’: we need to stop to smell the roses more, listen to each other more, think about sustainability more, celebrate diversity more, and love our Earth a lot more. Please feel free to add your ‘mores’!

 

The paradox of our time

The paradox of our time in history is that we have taller buildings, but shorter tempers; wider freeways, but narrower viewpoints; we spend more, but have less; we buy more, but enjoy it less.

We have bigger houses and smaller families; more conveniences, but less time; we have more degrees, but less sense; more knowledge, but less judgment; more experts, but more problems; more medicine, but less wellness.

We drink too much, smoke too much, spend too recklessly, laugh too little, drive too fast, get angry too quickly, stay up too late, get up too tired, read too seldom, watch TV too much, and pray too seldom.

We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values. We talk too much, love too seldom, and hate too often. We’ve learned how to make a living, but not a life; we’ve added years to life, not life to years.

We’ve been all the way to the moon and back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet the new neighbor. We’ve conquered outer space, but not inner space; we’ve done larger things, but not better things.

We’ve cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul; we’ve split the atom, but not our prejudice.

We write more, but learn less; we plan more, but accomplish less. We’ve learned to rush, but not to wait; we have higher incomes, but lower morals; we have more food, but less appeasement; we build more computers to hold more information to produce more copies than ever, but have less communication; we’ve become long on quantity, but short on quality.

These are the times of fast foods and slow digestion; tall men, and short character; steep profits, and shallow relationships. These are the times of world peace, but domestic warfare; more leisure, but less fun; more kinds of food, but less nutrition.

These are days of two incomes, but more divorce; of fancier houses, but broken homes. These are days of quick trips, disposable diapers, throw away morality, one-night stands, overweight bodies, and pills that do everything from cheer to quiet to kill.

It is a time when there is much in the show window and nothing in the stockroom; a time when technology has brought this letter to you, and a time when you can choose either to make a difference, or to just hit delete…

Mental health: how to stop stigma and take action

By MiC Carine 06/05/2019

Here at Mums in Cyprus, we spend large parts of the morning online and as a consequence, come across countless of websites every day. We see rubbish websites (loads of them!), out of date websites (how hard can it be!?) and even websites where we seriously wonder why anyone even bothered to put them up…

But once in a while there is one that stands out. The Perfect Find.

Professional, transparent, factual and supportive, yesterday’s discovery is one of these gems: childmind.org

The Child Mind Institute is dedicated to transforming the lives of children and families struggling with mental health and learning disorders. As an independent, non-profit organisation based in the United States, their teams ‘work every day to deliver the highest standards of care, advance the science of the developing brain and empower parents, professionals and policymakers to support children when and where they need it most.’

Ok, so Cyprus is not the US, but mental health is an issue on our island, too.

The website has a wealth of information, articles and tools for families. There are symptom checkers and parent guides, tips for teenagers and children.

Teachers can find resources for recognising learning disorders in the classroom, dealing with anxiety and ADHD in students, and browse though recommended strategies to address these.

One of the biggest obstacles to tackling mental health is the stigma attached to it, and this is where The Childmind Institute’s anti-stigma campaign #MyYoungerSelf comes in. That’s what got us to their website in the first place, as it was mentioned by Time Magazine.

‘This May actors, athletes, social influencers, businesspeople and more send a message of hope about their experience growing up with a mental health or learning disorder: Help us stop the shame and stigma. This is #MyYoungerSelf, the Child Mind Institute’s campaign to counter the stigma for the 1 in 5 children struggling with these disorders.’

We can ALL do our bit to stop the shame and stigma.

 

 

Oh Happy Day

By MiC Carine 22/06/2012

Yesterday was the longest day of the year, June 21st, meaning the day with the most hours of daylight. From now on, days will get shorter again…strange really, considering that we are just at the beginning of summer. And did you know that last Friday, June 15th was the happiest day of the year? At least according to psychologist and mathematician Cliff Arnall, whose formula takes into account outdoor activity, socializing, weather, and the expectation of a holiday.

Some of you may remember an earlier blog I wrote about the most depressing day of the year, January 17, also calculated by Mr Arnall. At the time I suspected that since we live in Cyprus, the weather factor must be out of the equasion, throwing off the formula somewhat.

For the happiest day of the year ‘The Telegraph’ writes that the feeling of optimism is caused by the combination of lighter evenings, the prospect of holidays and memories of childhood summers. I wonder if that’s also valid for Cyprus, since we seem to be spoilt by our weather and a constant summer feeling…especially with Friday’s heatwave and the 40 degrees.

Anyway, according to the research this has been worked out using the equation O + (N xS) + Cpm/T + He.

O stands for being outdoors and outdoor activity, N is connection with nature, S is socialisation with neighbours and friends, Cpm stands for childhood positive memories, T is the mean temperature, and He is holiday expected. Ok then.

Mr Arnall sates that his main aim is to ‘get people talking about what makes them happy’ and for that alone, I salute him. In a world of ever negative news and impending ‘end of the world’ desasters, such inspiration is always welcome.

So, what makes you happy? Was last Friday a particularly happy day for you?

Tell me why I don’t like Mondays

By MiC Carine 17/01/2010

 

For those of us who usually dread saying goodbye to our weekends, Monday mornings are particularly challenging. This Monday, January 18th it seems that we have every reason to find it even more of a drag to get out of bed: it’s Blue Monday, the most depressing day of the year.
Scientific research has given us an official excuse to feel blue, complete with its own formula to ward off the sceptics.


Apparently it is a ‘calculation’ using the following factors: ‘weather’ plus ‘debt’, multiplied by ‘time since
Christmas’ and ‘time since failing our new year’s resolutions’ squared, divided by ‘low motivational levels’ multiplied by the ‘feeling of a need to take action’. This translates into crap winter weather, mounting credit card bills, Christmas being a distant memory, broken New Year’s resolutions, payday still two weeks away and nothing we can do about it.


Phew. Good thing we live in
Cyprus then. At least the weather factor is out, which should throw off the formula somewhat.


So Ladies, chin up! It can’t be that bad. At least we’re not stuck in snow, sleet and subzero temperatures like our European neighbours. And for me, that makes this Monday just another Manic Monday after all.

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