Siblings and Lockdown

As a teacher you will be aware that pupils will be facing challenges upon their return to school after such a long absence. Siblings of disabled children and young people will be facing very specific challenges. We know that for families caring for a disabled child, the impact on siblings has been enormous.  We have been made aware of siblings having to move out of the family home to protect brothers and sisters who are shielding, siblings becoming young carers for the first time and siblings who have experienced their brothers or sisters becoming very unwell. These are not isolated examples and illustrate the type of prolonged exposure to stress and pressure that have faced siblings during lockdown.  Schools play a crucial role in supporting the health and wellbeing of siblings.  Here are a few examples of what siblings will be facing upon their return to school and how you can help:

We are all being asked to stay at home due to lockdown once again. This month we’re talking about how important it is to keep looking after your mental health as we know that things feel hard right now. You may be spending lots more time with your brothers and sisters than you usually do at the moment. This might be because school has stopped or because respite care is not happening. We’ve got ideas on how to ask for help if you are struggling or finding things difficult and what you can do to help yourself too. Here are some top tips for what you can do:

1. Have a routine

Try to get dressed every day. Have a shower, clean your teeth and keep an eye on how much screen time you’re having, whether it’s for school work, social media or gaming. Make a timetable of what you can do every day to keep on top of school work. This will also stop you from getting bored.

2. Sleep at regular times

Get some sleep! You should be getting roughly 8-9 hours sleep a night but we know that getting to sleep isn’t easy for all of us at the moment and we also know that sleep can be particularly difficult for siblings. Check out this article from The Children’s Sleep Charity about how to get a good night’s sleep.

3. Keep in touch

Try and keep in touch with your friends or family members who don’t live with you. Pick up the phone and just have a chat about the weather, or what you’re watching on TV, or even what you’re having for tea. Talking to other people will help make things feel more normal.

4. Get some exercise

Exercising is really important. It keeps you fit and is good for your mental health too. Exercising might be more difficult at home but it’s still important to try. You could make yourself an exercise circuit in your front room, take part in a online yoga tutorial or you can work out with Joe Wicks https://youtu.be/d3LPrhI0v-w

5. Be Creative

You’ll have lots of school work to do and that will keep you busy, but try to do something creative and interesting too. You could start writing in a daily diary or journal to write down your thoughts and feelings or try painting or knitting.

6. It’s OK not to be OK

Things all feel a bit strange at the moment, even though we’ve all been through a lockdown before. You might be feeling worried about what’s going on, sad not to see your friends, or anxious  because things are taking a long time to improve. We’ll all have our own way of coping with this and that’s ok too. Young Minds have published this advice about coronavirus: https://youngminds.org.uk/blog/what-to-do-if-you-re-anxious-about-coronavirus/ and Childline have online support you can access 24/7 https://www.childline.org.uk/get-support/