Clinginess and separation anxiety, problems we didn’t see amid COVID-19

Toddlers, teens, and even adults are so clingy right now. If you’re a parent to toddlers and teens, it’s such a strange aspect to see during this pandemic. However, separation anxiety can happen to unsuspecting adults, too.

Clinginess and separation anxiety are problems we didn’t see amid COVID-19

You’ve spent so many hours with your lockdown partners and they (or you) can still be hungry for more time and attention. I mean, I can tell because I’ve been experiencing this, too. I’ve been in quarantine with a few of my workmates. To say that I have grown attached to them would be an understatement.

When the government decided to lift the Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) in Metro Manila, we decided to go back to our own homes. And to be honest, separation anxiety just hit us and we haven’t even separated from each other. So, this is a little weird for us to handle.

We cling because we feel safe.

There is one major reason why we’re all feeling a little clingy with the person/s that we’ve spent months with during the quarantine. It’s because they made us feel safe. They made us feel comforted then our minds instinctively responded to the threat and anxiety that COVID-19 brought.

Parents, it’s actually a sweet thing if your toddler or teenage offspring became clingier than usual. Basically, in evolutionary terms, they feel like they will more likely survive if they stay close to you. They feel that danger remains imminent and they stay close to you for protection.

We cling as a threat-based response.

Your children might feel the stresses and the uncertainty that we all currently face today. This, then, triggers their clinginess. It’s a child’s visible manifestation of coping with all the changes. Try asking them about what is making them feel anxious and try to understand them as much as you can.

We have all became clingy with our lockdown partners because we have fewer avenues to socialize with others. One strategy to handle this is to actually make a routine and schedule that includes stretches of uninterrupted time with your lockdown partner/s. Having some level of routine in place could help them in transitioning back to life outside the house that won’t result in a jarringly dramatic separation.