We are grateful for permission from “The Santa Fe New Mexican” to publish this article from our column.

You have probably heard that old saying about “being in the same boat.”  During the pandemic, someone said that we may have ridden out the same storm, and we were all in different boats.  We have all experienced different depths of feeling, loss, relief, and exhaustion.  Maybe you have had some happy moments that reminded you of “normal”.  Even with all of us in different boats, this storm has been stressful for everyone. 

Stress can influence all aspects of our life including our health, job performance, relationships, and sense of well-being.  It can show up as anxiety, failing in school, self-medicating with alcohol or drugs, days lost from work, and decreased productivity.  Emotional exhaustion, one of the elements in burnout, is strongly linked to negative impacts on our health. 

As we prepare to shift into a “new normal” with a return to in-person school, more social gatherings, at-the-office work, and fewer virtual events, more stress is on the horizon.   Stress occurs even with expected and welcomed change.

To assist you and to provide support for you to assist your children, we are hosting a virtual parenting conference in August, Re-Entry: A Parenting Conference for Navigating a Post-Pandemic New Normal.  This conference will offer skills for traversing the new terrain. 

You will get to hear from Lisa Damour, clinical psychologist and author of Under Pressure: Confronting the Epidemic of Stress and Anxiety in Girls.  We will also have speakers addressing grief, trauma, and self-care.  For those of you with children in high school athletics who are wondering how recruiting for college will be working post-pandemic when that critical junior year may have been spent “on the bench” of COVID, your questions will be answered. 

 I want to understand what would support you the most.  What would you like to know before your children return to in-person school in the fall?  What is the biggest challenge that you are facing?  Please let me know what you would like to hear about.  We want this conference to answer your questions and address the issues you face.

We cannot remove the stressors, and the mission of Re-Entry is to provide the skills for you and your children to manage the stress.   Learning to move through this transition with grace will benefit all of us as we return to port in our different boats.

Email me or leave your ideas in the comments. Many thanks!