8 Emotional Wellness Resources to Help Your Family During COVID-19

Parenting in the time of COVID-19 brings uncharted territory for families. How do I keep children healthy? How do I answer their questions about the coronavirus? Is my teen sleeping too long? How can we stay calm and manage the stress? Will I ever get 10 minutes to myself?

Family stress and emotional strain are on the rise because of the rapidly changing situation with the COVID-19 outbreak. And family members who were already dealing with mental health challenges may experience worsening symptoms. But there are ways to cope.

Boys & Girls Clubs of America knows that parents and caregivers may find it challenging to know all the answers, what to say and how to care for their children’s mental health as well as their own. That’s why we’ve created this list of practical resources from experts in family and youth well-being. 

1. Parent/Caregiver Guide to Helping Families Cope with the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)
   • Provides information about infectious disease outbreaks, how to reduce stress and help calm likely anxieties, and what to do to help family members cope
   • Available in Spanish and Chinese
2. Taking Care of Your Behavioral Health: Tips for Social Distancing, Quarantine, and Isolation During an Infectious Disease Outbreak
   • Focuses on potential emotional reactions and mental health concerns and self-care tips
   • Available in Spanish
3. Trauma and Your Family
   • Defines traumatic stress, how common it is, how it can impact a family and things a family can do to cope with traumatic stress
4. Mental Health and Teens: Watch for Danger Signs
   • Tips for communication, red flags to watch for, potential mental health issues and when and how to get help
   • Available in English and Spanish, and as an audio recording
5. About Childhood Grief
   • How to demonstrate understanding and compassion to a grieving child based on research and practice among children’s grief support professionals and volunteers
6. Disaster Distress Helpline
   • Call 1-800-985-5990 (press 2 for Spanish) 
   • Text TalkWithUs or Hablanos for Spanish to 66746 (50 states) or Hablanos to 1-787-339-2663 (Puerto Rico)
7. Crisis Text Line
   • Text HOME to 741741
   • Free 24/7 support via text for anyone in any type of crisis