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15 Ways to Stay Connected with Your Grandchildren

15 Ways to Stay Connected with Your Grandchildren

by | Mar 17, 2021 | Relationships

Much has been said about how COVID-19 affects the health of older generations, but family relationships are a concern too. Many seniors feel cut off from one of their greatest joys in life, their grandchildren.

Since the end of March 2020, 69% of grandparents haven’t met their new grandchildren face to face. Another 76% haven’t hugged or touched any of their grandchildren. That’s according to a survey by the grandparenting organization Gransnet.

While sleep-over visits and hugging may be too risky for a while, there are other ways to stay in touch. Brush up on the modern rules for supporting healthy and safe relationships between grandparents and grandchildren.

Communication Tips for Modern Families:

1. Explain the facts. Your grandchildren probably miss you too, especially if they were used to seeing you frequently. Provide age appropriate information about why seniors have to take extra precautions.

2. Set boundaries. Family members may disagree about COVID-19 precautions. Coordinate boundaries with the parents.

3. Create a schedule. Routines help us to cope with uncertainty. Plan a weekly virtual gathering or a daily text with a riddle or a new vocabulary word.

4. Show empathy. Support each other through these difficult times. Maybe you can offer practical assistance or help your grandchild to put their feelings into words.

5. Explore resources. It may help to talk with other grandparents in similar situations. Join an online forum where you can discuss common challenges and discover reliable sources of information and guidance.

Activities You Can Still Share with your Grandchildren:

1. Make video calls. Chat on Zoom and Facetime. Quick tutorials can walk you through the basics or ask another family member for help setting up an account.

2. Write letters. Old school communications still work. Your grandchild will be excited to receive a letter or card addressed to them.

3. Share videos. Create lasting memories with videos. Record yourself describing a story from your family history. Ask your children to capture some moments from your grandchild’s day.

4. Send gifts. Presents can make staying at home more pleasant. Maybe your grandchild can use some educational items that will enrich their home learning. Maybe the whole family would appreciate a subscription with healthy ingredients for home cooked meals.

5. Celebrate milestones. What about holidays and birthdays? If it’s too risky to gather indoors, you may still be able to have a party online or outside with distancing and masks.

6. Give tours. Put together a virtual tour to show your grandchildren what you’re doing. Include footage of your summer vegetable garden and your indoor and outdoor Christmas decorations.

7. Watch movies. Apps like Netflix party are the closest thing to sitting on the same couch. Pick a film the family will enjoy and discuss it afterwards.

8. Play games. You can also play video games online. Ask your grandchildren to teach you about their favorite titles.

9. Read stories. When is the last time you read to your grandchild? Schedule an evening video call to share a passage from a book they love. Even if your grandchild is too young to understand the words, they can become more familiar with your voice. Older children can take turns reading to you.

10. Eat together. Family meals can be virtual too. Teach your grandchildren how to make macaroni and cheese or chocolate chip pancakes. Pretend you’re dining at the same table.

Talk with your doctor about your individual needs and keep up with local health and safety guidelines about family gatherings. The pandemic has changed our daily routines, but you can still shower your grandchildren with love and attention.

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11 Tips for Overcoming Laziness

11 Tips for Overcoming Laziness

by | Mar 17, 2021 | Confidence

Laziness is frustrating. There are things that you know you should be doing, but you simply don’t feel like doing them. Everyone has been in this situation more than once.

A lazy day isn’t an issue on occasion, but chronic laziness can cause a lot of short and long-term challenges in your life.

Learning to deal with laziness in an effective manner is an important tool in your life skills toolbox.

If laziness is negatively affecting you, try these techniques to curb it:

1. Start with the hardest task. Many people find that there’s actually just one task that’s preventing them from taking action. If you could just put that task in your rearview mirror, everything else would be a piece of cake. Try doing your most dreaded task first and watch your productivity rise!

2. Start with the easiest task. On the other hand, if you could just gain a little momentum, you might find yourself motivated to continue. Try doing the shortest or easiest task first and see what happens.

3. Reward yourself for taking action. A little reward can go a long way. Tell yourself that you can have a cup of coffee after you work for 30 minutes. Or, let yourself read a chapter from your favorite novel after putting in a couple of hours of work.

4. Get organized. A cluttered workspace increases the amount of resistance you feel. Whether it’s a messy desk, a dirty kitchen, or a bunch of toys in the yard that are standing in your way, spend some time tidying things up.

5. Force yourself to do the task you’re avoiding for just two minutes. Many tasks are easy to do, but it can be hard to get started. Force yourself to work for just two minutes and you might find that it’s easy to continue for much longer.

6. Get more sleep. Perhaps you’re just tired. More sleep is the answer.

7. Visualize the task already completed. Close your eyes and see yourself completing the task. Notice how wonderful you feel. Use that feeling as motivation to get busy.

8. Relax. The ultimate reason we don’t take action is this: We think about performing a task, and it doesn’t feel good. Notice where you feel uncomfortable when you think about doing that unpleasant task. Relax that area, breathe deeply, and the feeling will dissipate.

9. Think about something that gets you excited. What is something you love to do? Think about that for a while, and then quickly get started on the unpleasant task.

10. See yourself as someone that gets things done. If you see yourself as someone that struggles to complete your tasks, that’s how you’ll behave. Instead, convince yourself that you are someone that takes care of business. Validate this belief by noticing the many tasks you do.

11. Schedule breaks. When you have a break to look forward to, it’s easier to get to work. Promise yourself that you can do whatever you want for 20 minutes after you work for two hours.

Just because you feel like being lazy doesn’t mean you have to actually be lazy. Take control of the situation and get yourself to take meaningful action.

Everyone feels lazy from time to time, but successful people are able to move past this temporary emotional state and get themselves moving again.

Give yourself the occasional lazy day but avoid allowing yourself to be lazy on a regular basis. When you get to work and complete your tasks quickly, you can take more well-deserved time off to relax and do those things that are more important to you. Your life is waiting for you!

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