professional coach and consultant with
Bounce-Forward Consulting Group. Ladd
is also the senior director of corporate
services and workforce development at
Carroll Community College.

It’s time to take an inventory of our
interests, strengths, experiencers and
areas for development, she says. The
economy has been devastated, but
parents can still make job changes.

“It’s important to recognize the shock
this pandemic has had—and will con-
tinue to have —on the economy,” Ladd
says. “While experts vary in their projec-
tions, it will take time for the economy to
recover. People need to be patient,
flexible and tenacious.”
Expect for career options to shift, she
says. Some jobs will disappear and new
ones emerge. She recommends that
workers keep an eye out for trends in our
region, network and take advantage of
online classes.

Talk with professionals, including
financial planners, small-business
RBOZUK / ISTOCK / GETTY IMAGES PLUS
counselors, college advisors or recruiters.

What if a worker likes his or her job
right now? That’s great, Ladd says. Stay
engaged and look for ways to make your-
self indispensable. Hone in on what’s
important and work with colleagues
toward goals.

Overall, focus on “what you can
influence in the present while keeping an
eye on the future you’d like to invent,”
she says.

‘WHAT CAN I BE
HAPPY ABOUT?’
It’s really easy to get lost in how hard
things are, says Jon Hershfield, the
Sheppard Pratt expert. But focusing on
the difficulties can lead to depression.

Instead find joy in the moments: Listen
to a favorite song. Appreciated the home-
cooked meal a spouse made. Remember
what inspired you to buy that favorite
painting of yours.

Maryland mother Jessica Reighard,
finds comfort in nature. “I wish I could
identify the bird calls and understand
what they are saying,” she says. “There’s a
whole separate world up in the trees.”
Reighard’s friend and neighbor Karen
Levin is cooking for her family. “We’ve
been making homemade sushi, lots of
roasted vegetables, egg stratas, things
that use random ingredients and last for
a while,” she says. “Mainly I love trying to
come up with new ideas using the
limited ingredients on hand. It feels like a
rewarding challenge.”
Activities like these are meaningful,
Hershfield says. “Pay attention to these
moments. They are more important than
we think.”
‘WHAT’S NEXT?’
The good news is that we have the skills
to ready our kids (and ourselves) for
whatever come next, says Kay Connors,
an instructor in the Department of
Psychiatry at University of Maryland
School of Medicine. Connors is also the
executive director of the Taghi Modaressi
Center for Infant Study, Division of Child
and Adolescent Psychiatry.

We have the skills? Yes, we do this
every August, Connors reminds us. Think
about how we help our children tran-
sition from summer to school. We go
shopping for the supplies they’ll need and
review the rules to make sure they under-
stand what’s expected of them. Tap into
those preparedness practices to make
sure everybody feels ready for life in pan-
demic recovery.

“What’s unique is that there is an ele-
ment of fear,” she says. “Fear goes beyond
worry, and it’s reasonable in this situa-
tion. Something did happen.”
Both parents and children can be
afraid. But research shows that a parent’s
response greatly influences a child’s
response, Connors says, which is why
it’s important for parents to reflect on
all they had to learn and do to keep their
families safe.

“Take a moment to recognize how
adaptive we’ve been,” Connors says.

We tend to associate trauma with
mental health problems, and trauma can
definitely exacerbate depression or anx-
iety, she adds. But “we’ve all developed
a whole new set of life skills that will be
available to use at different times.” n
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