Open AccessResilience and Challenges of Working Mothers during COVID-19
Author(s) -
Marina Heifetz
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
inyi journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 1929-8471
DOI - 10.25071/1929-8471.93
Subject(s) - pandemic , mental health , mindfulness , psychology , anxiety , stressor , workload , covid-19 , psychological resilience , psychiatry , clinical psychology , medicine , social psychology , disease , pathology , computer science , infectious disease (medical specialty) , operating system
The pandemic has brought on much hardships and highlighted the many inequities in our lives, including the increasing workload for working mothers. Compared to pre-pandemic, maternal research has found mothers to have increases in anxiety and depression during the pandemic. Given the added stressors of the pandemic, this paper aims to highlight some evidence-based strategies that mothers can use to support their mental health during the pandemic and beyond. These mental health strategies include (1) Self-compassion and mindfulness (2) Physical self-care (sleep and physical activity time); (3) Connecting time (maintaining social connections and shared responsibilities); and (4) Playtime (having fun!).