Strategies to Help Children and Parents Improve Mood When Times Are Tough

Restrictions placed on us by the COVID-19 pandemic have made it more difficult for both children and parents to engage in a number of activities that they once enjoyed. These changes in routine can negatively impact mood, resulting in feeling sad, anxious, and unmotivated. Brittany Jordan-Arthur, PhD, and Lauren Santucci, PhD, help us to incorporate meaningful activities into our lives to improve how we feel.

About This Video

The challenges that we are facing during the COVID-19 pandemic can have a profound impact on mental health. Many people are feeling down and lack motivation. Years of research and clinical practice have shown that behavioral activation can serve as a useful tool to fight low mood. Behavioral activation is based on the principle that what we do changes how we feel. Instead of waiting to feel better to do something, we need to do something in order to feel better. By incorporating mood-boosting activities into our daily lives, we can begin to take control of our mood and see improvement in our emotional well-being.

Drs. Jordan-Arthur and Santucci explain how behavioral activation works and provide tips for using it as a tool to improve how we feel. They describe how low mood affects the brain and how this can cause us to withdraw from activities that make us feel good. They also share strategies to help us find uplifting activities to add to our daily routines, creating opportunities for positive reinforcement.