Some psychology and mindfulness experts have claimed that observing and living with children helps to see the current pandemic situation from another perspective.
Do you remember how you were as a boy or a girl? How did you get excited about inventing games? Do you miss that feeling of not seeing problems around?
As one physician recruiter who specializes in career development for psychology professionals explained. At this time plagued with COVID-19, children have many lessons to teach. Children have great virtues, they show us that they know how to adapt to situations, have flexibility, and the ability to value what they have.
They are important virtues, so we must not forget the child in us.
These are 10 things we can adopt from children:
1. Have Fun And Play
Children are happy, they are always playing and having fun. During the day, try to look for something that each member of the family enjoys, to generate an emotion that counteracts the negative things that are happening in the world.
2. Express Your Emotions
Children can be spontaneous and honest when talking about how they feel.
Let us learn from them to share and express how we are, without so many filters of “I always have to be well” or “I must not express this”; they are simply judgments that we generate as adults.
3. Be Empathic
Boys and girls are sensitive. They approach others without any problem and most of the time they share.
Children in the parks approach other children when they see that they are playing something that interests them and they start with curiosity, which is another ability that we should have.
There is also the emotion of loving others and supporting each other, like when they see someone who falls and gets hurt, they approach worried to ask how they are.
4. Turn Simple Into Extraordinary
With creativity and imagination, children transform the situations that happen to them or their games into something memorable. During this troubling time, this quality of children can be beneficial.
When watching a movie, for example, live the experience as if you were in the cinema. Decorate, make numbered tickets, have sweets and snacks as in the store at the moves.
5. Live Today
For children, the world is constantly changing, as they move up the grade level, develop new knowledge and talents; it is an uncertainty of not knowing what they will learn tomorrow.
It's part of being able to focus on today. Be in the present, focus on strengths, things that are enjoyed, develop talents, and know that there is something to be thankful for and rejoice about.
They are factors that help to ensure that the blow of uncertainty is not devastating, but rather an opportunity to grow and develop resilience.
6. Take Challenges As An Adventure
Children see any challenge in life as a story or an adventure, something that to overcome they will first have to navigate a path with ups and downs.
This mindset also allows us to be in contact with our emotions and know that not every day is going to be good, but not every day is going to be bad.
7. Learn And Take Advantage of The Experience
Every experience children have, good or bad, becomes learning.
You have to take advantage of situations so that you are not only left with the taste of uncertainty about negative or difficult things.
It is having the ability to recognize personal aspects that are positive, valuable, and which help us to give our lives a different meaning.
8. Appreciate What You Have And Enjoy It!
What is available to children is always enough to have fun or learn, they explore what is around them and take advantage of it.
This quarantine has been a challenging experience; this period helps us to turn to see areas of our life that perhaps we had neglected or that are worth paying attention to.
For example, family life, prayer spaces, allowing oneself to do exercise routines at home, rest, all are aspects that are worth valuing after this difficult period is finally over.
9. Be Generous And Supportive
Children are good at sharing and caring, and we would do well to copy their example.
There are things that we can actively do today for others, we have to overcome the negative to generate that sense of how to help others and be in solidarity.
There can be new ways of sharing in society; there is always something we can share, not everything is economic or food, it can be time or some skill we share, to help others.
10. View The Future With Hope
Optimism and hope characterize children, the hope that something good will come in the future.
It is also valid for adults to have this mindset, knowing that the pandemic will end at some point. We should all have learned by now that nothing in life is permanent, the only constant is change.
So we can generate a sense of hope if we all contribute the best we have then this will be an opportunity to develop a new way of doing things.