A joke making the rounds these days is that the most useless purchase of 2020 was a daily planner. For the past three months, our lives have been in an uncomfortable holding pattern of dashed expectations, deferred dreams and blank calendars. If you or a loved one fell victim to the coronavirus, the stress was multiplied tenfold. There's a restlessness these days that persists as society tiptoes back to "pandemic normal." Even if you've not lost a loved one to the virus, what many of us are experiencing is grief. Our mental health expert explains pandemic grief and how to cope. She reminds us that we have control over our thoughts, if not our world or what's happening (or not) around us. ...

Coming to a place of acceptance, we begin to give grief permission to loosen its hold on us. It’s also the realization that continuing to live our life doesn’t mean we’re leaving the loss behind us. ...

What scares kids? Sometimes it's the adults around them or the adults' response to things that are happening. Children who are around adults who most often express positive emotions have been shown to be able to control their emotions better than children who are subject to mostly negative expressions. Most kids look to adults for how they react to circumstances and mirror these responses. ...

Boredom grants children the opportunity to be alone with their thoughts and feelings, which create an environment for personal growth. This can help them learn about who they are and where their thoughts go without other influences. ...

Keep the communication lines open by discussing your boundaries before beginning. It may feel uncomfortable to address issues that are non-existent but not as uncomfortable if problems arise down the road. Sit down with everyone involved and discuss not only your expectations but also theirs. ...