Congratulations for enduring this lockdown and continuing to  support your children during this difficult time! Here is an excerpt from a great website: Teens 13-17 Years | We're Here to Help | Kids Helpline

COVID-19: What if things don't go back to normal?

Coping with change can be stressful. If you’re feeling anxious about what’s going to happen, it could be because you’re having to cope with lots of change.

You could be struggling with…

• adjusting to changes that have already happened
• anxiety about changes you know are coming
• worrying about unknown changes you can’t foresee … or a combination of the above

This is normal! For our hunter-gatherer ancestors, the unknown could be dangerous. New places might have had predators or dangerous obstacles. New people might have been friendly, or they might have been an enemy that could hurt you.

This is why our brain finds change stressful. Our brain likes things that are familiar and routine – because these things feel safe.

Your brain is great at adapting to change

Our brains have established 'neural pathways’ (emotions, thoughts and behaviours we use all the time). These are mostly automatic – they’re your ‘default’ setting.

When we experience change, we have to do things differently. This means we have to form new neural pathways.

With time and repetition, your brain follows the new neural pathway and starts to get used to it.

Then with enough practice, that neural pathway becomes your ‘default’ which means the changes and new routines will get easier as they will start to feel familiar, normal and safe