New online events help mums juggle work and home-schooling during COVID-19

Teressa Todd
Teressa Todd

WITH Mother’s Day on May 10, a Gold Coast naturopath/ author has launched new free weekly online webinars with tips to help mums who are feeling stressed from becoming a home-schooling teacher and working from home during Covid-19.

Teressa Todd surveyed Gold Coast mums and clients during April 2020 and found more than half of them were taking on the role of teacher and worker during Covid-19. “Mums, already feeling frazzled and exhausted with the current stress and change of Covid-19, are
now trying to juggle working from home while home-schooling their children,” Ms Todd said.

A working mum with two children under the age of 11, Ms Todd understands the demands of juggling being a working mum, home-schooling and tending to family and household duties.

She added that the women were challenged being productive while children were interrupting them, needing to be supervised and home-schooled.

“This is placing large stress on mums who are already feeling the pinch juggling work, family and household duties before the Corona Pandemic.

“Home-schooling, teaching and supervising children adds to the current stress and overwhelm of working mums and they are looking for solutions.”

Ms Todd is Australia’s first university trained naturopath, biochemist, microbiologist and author and has been seeing clients in her own business, My Naturopath Gold Coast, for 20 years.

She recommends simple strategies to help ease the burden and help the day flow easier. These include:

  • Create your own routine by making a timetable for each day to follow for children and yourself. Routine is important for mums and children. Include time for school and office work, play time, exercise, time for online education, quiet time and meals.
  • Prepare meals in larger batches to freeze and use as leftovers for another night or for lunches the next day to give you added time to use for work tasks. This helps reduce downtime during the day and gives you more time for work.
  • Encourage the children to help you out. Offer rewards for doing tasks around the house like unpacking the dishwasher, picking up their clothes, helping with the washing, sweeping the floor. Use a rewards chart to track their activities and create a rewards structure for the end of the week.

“Be flexible – there may be days that are a struggle, however there will be easier days. Just remember this is not long term. Enjoy the time with your kids now. Include some fun each day to help reduce the stress,” she said.

To access Ms Todd’s free weekly online webinars and tips, visit Teressa Todd Naturopath on Facebook or Instagram.