The juggling act: Parenting while maintaining a healthy work-life balance
April 13, 2021 - Defence Stories
Brought to you by Total Health Programs
Do you find yourself in ‘Zoom’ meetings with the dog barking in the background, or one of your children interrupting your work to ask for help with their virtual learning? If you answered yes, you are not alone!
Many Defence Team members have been facing these types of challenges since the start of the pandemic. Balancing parenting, work, and personal lives has been a unique test on our resilience, and patience.
Statistics Canada has found that 74% of parents are very or extremely concerned for their families in terms of balancing childcare, schooling, and work. Although we each face our own unique obstacles during this time, the one thing that many can relate to are the hurdles that parents are facing during this pandemic.
With spring just around the corner, parents are usually starting to think about summer vacations and registering their children for camps and activities. This year may look different again due to the pandemic restrictions. Parents are concerned about how the current climate will affect home life and work life this summer.
To help manage the stress of these uncertain times, here are some practical tips to consider:
- Engage in summer plan discussions with your team and managers so the “what if” scenarios can be considered. Risk manage workloads if there are few available options for childcare during the summer months. Stay in the know regarding requests and benefits available to you as a public servant.
- Stay healthy while working from home. Aside from properly nourishing your body and incorporating some movement (You are now leaving the Government of Canada website) during the day, having proper support equipment is just as important in order to make your telework safe and healthy. Why not check out the resources available to the Defence Team members.
- Know your limits and set boundaries. Be realistic with your goals. Show yourself compassion. Perhaps think about making SMART objectives if you think documenting them would be helpful to you.
- Stay connected with up-to-date, reliable resources. The following resources are worth keeping in your library. You will be able to remain up to date on resources and upcoming events on the Defence Team COVID-19 Mental Health and Wellness page. And here, available in any language, you can access COVID-19: 24/7 PARENTING (You are now leaving the Government of Canada website) tips.
- Take care of yourself. Take time to pause. Carve out some time to recharge throughout the day. Self-care (You are now leaving the Government of Canada website) is important to prevent stress and fatigue.
To further explore this topic, join us for a virtual webinar titled I’m all Pandemic’ked Out: Parent Stress and Coping. This webinar will address stressors, mental health, resilience, strategies for parents, and how to seek help.
Get in touch with us for Support Resources
Reach out to the EAP Corporate Office, the Mental Health and Well-Being Corporate Office, or the Office of Disability Management.
Subscribe to the EAP distribution list to stay informed on mental health and wellness topics that matter to you, upcoming webinars, and much more.
All Defence Team members have access to:
- Health Canada - Employee Assistance Services (EAS) – provides short-term professional counselling services. This service is available 24/7, 365 days a year, by calling 1-800-268-7708 or 1-800-567-5803 (TTY).
- Canadian Forces Member Assistance Program (CFMAP) – Members of the CAF, veterans, and their families can access free, confidential counseling, 24 hours a day, seven days a week at 1-800-268-7708 or TDD 1-800-567-5803 (TTY).
- LifeSpeak – Web-based service that offers free confidential access to hundreds of short videos by experts on everyday issues.
DND Civilian employees have access to:
- EAP Peer Advisors (PAs) (accessible only on the National Defence network) – DND civilian employees provide confidential active-listening skills and resources to employees in need. Call HR Connect at 1-833-747-6363 to be connected with a readily available colleague from 0800-1600 hours Mon to Friday. You will be contacted within 24 hours.
- The Office of Disability Management (Accessible only on the National Defence network) was created to be an impartial, collaborative and inclusive group that supports employees and supervisors/managers dealing with disability-related matter due to illness, impairment and injury.
- The Mental Health and Well-being Corporate Office (Accessible only on the National Defence network) supports the mental health and well-being of employees by providing access to educational tools and resources to assist in building a safe, supportive and respectful work environment.
CAF members and their families have access to:
- The Family Information Line (FIL) (accessible only on the National Defence network) – FIL counsellors are available to handle calls in confidence 24 hours a day, seven days a week. To speak with a FIL counsellor, call 1-800-866-4546 (toll-free in North America) or 1-613-995-5234 (collect calls accepted).
- Military Family Resource Centres (MFRCs) (accessible only on the National Defence network) – CAF members and their families have access to dedicated, frontline service providers, responsible for connecting military families to a wide range of programs and services.
- Military Medical Centres – Locate a centre anywhere in Canada.
- Crisis Texting Service for Kids of CAF Families (accessible only on the National Defence network) – Children, youth and young adults from military families can access free mental health and wellbeing support by texting the keyword CAFKIDS at 686868 for service in English. For service in French, text the keyword JEUNESFAC at 686868.
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