This past week has been a difficult week for me as both my parents had health crises arise. My mom ended up in the hospital in one town for three days and my dad ended up having to have emergency eye surgery in another town three hours from where my mom was hospitalized. My sister took the brunt of the mess in the beginning of the week, bouncing back and forth between Walla Walla and Spokane. While she was doing that, I was dealing with my own physical issues that made me sick for three days, but I continued in spite of feeling awful, packing frantically and trying to get everything set for my husband and daughter while I and my son were gone. The Lord was faithful and I felt better, so we left on Thursday and spent through Sunday morning with my parents after they came home to recover.
I’ve had other crises in my life that have broadsided our homeschool and life for extended periods of time. How does one maintain equilibrium during these times? What about homeschool?
I have learned some things by experience. Yesterday, I went to the mail box and here was a homeschool magazine with an article about this very issue. It was so appropriate and the author mentioned some things I needed to be reminded of.
What can you do when life broadsides your life and homeschool?
· Maintain your communication through prayer and Bible reading with your Lord. When life gets crazy, often this is the first thing to get neglected. Don’t let it happen, as this is one of the most stabilizing things you can do during unstable times. Let God’s Word comfort your heart and give you direction.
· Decide what MUST be done and what can slide during this time. Decide what household chores must be done and what can slide. Don’t try to do it all. This adds stress to stress. Do only the essentials when in survival mode.
· Try to re-establish “normal” as best you can. For instance, try to stick to some form of routine such as meals at certain times of the day. Bed-time routines, and other routine things that were done before, you might try to re-establish or continue those. There is comfort in routine for you and your kids. Having a routine where you know what comes next without having to think about it is good during times of crises. It brings back some normalcy to your days for you and your kids. Depending on what your crises situation may be, you might need to establish a “new normal”. Whatever it is, try to establish routine for yourself & your family.
· If life is too hectic during crises times to do much schooling, then maybe you can drop a couple of subjects during this time and just do the bare essentials. Or perhaps schooling isn’t going to happen at all, then realize this is life in the real world and your kids are learning life lessons during this time. Don’t fret about how behind they will be in their schooling. When the crises settles, start adding lessons back into the schooling. If you find your children need review, then review and go from there. But don’t fret. That adds stress to stress.
· Don’t be afraid to let your friends, homeschool support group, and church family know you are in a crises. Let them help if they offer. Sometimes they might offer to bring in meals or if your children are young they may offer to babysit etc. Graciously accept help that is offered. It will lessen your stress levels. When all has settled and life has returned to normal or a “new normal” if that is the case, then take the time to write a short thank you note to them.
· Don’t feel guilty about taking time out for yourself. You need to have time to regroup and clear your head. When I was at my parent’s this past week, when I was confident that they were ok alone for a while, I went for a long walk with my son to the grocery store instead of driving. It was a good way to distress and get away from things for a bit. Another day I took a long hot shower and just spent some time enjoying the heat on my neck and shoulders. Small things like that can go a long way to helping you distress. Another of my favorite destressors is to lay on the floor on my back with my feet up on a chair or couch for 15 minutes with my eyes closed. I spend a few minutes deep breathing and just relaxing. It really makes a difference in how I feel when I get up again.
I hope this is helpful to you. One thing I always remember in a crises that helps me is “Just do the next thing.” This keeps me from just sitting down, spacing out and not getting anything done.
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