Lockdown. It's a horrible word, right? I just felt you shudder. 

If you're a parent, especially a working parent, you've not been having a good time overall during these last few months. Lockdown in the UK came into force in early January, and has meant that across England, Scotland, Wales and NI over 66 million people have been asked to stay at home and only venture out for a few essential reasons. Schools across the country closed to all but key worker children, although nurseries stayed open. And parents nationwide heaved a heavy sigh as the dark nights took hold and the weather went downhill. 

Being a parent can be stressful at the best of times, but at the moment everything is amplified. Every little difficult moment feels huge, and the situation we're in can feel neverending. But there is a light at the end of the tunnel, and we've all made it this far.

Here are some things you can do today, now to help alleviate some of the stress and pressure you might be feeling as a parent.

The 5 Things Lockdown Parents Need to Stop Worrying About:

1. What Other Parents Are Doing.

Comparison is the thief of joy. Theodore Roosevelt is right: when we compare ourselves to others, especially to those little squares on Instagram or to someone's positivity-saturated tweet, we look at our own life in a different way and can feel like we're failing. Especially if you're comparing apples and oranges. 

Your 1-year-old can't be expected to undertake the same tasks as a 3-year-old, no matter how advanced they are. So stop worrying about the finger paintings and the baking and little Jessie doing cartwheels at the park. Turn that focus inwards and find the joy in your own home. 

2. Insta-Mums.

Speaking of Instagram, if your feed doesn't bring you joy then it's time to curate it. Are you following parents who only post glowy staged photos of their little ones in gorgeous clean clothes playing with toys gifted from beautiful companies? That's great - if you enjoy looking at that content. I do, but for a lot of parents it can produce a huge amount of pressure. 

So unfollow the perpetually perfect parents and follow the ones who post the 3am reel about how their toddler is having a dance party and they Just Won't Sleep, or the mum who's worn the same pair of leggings for a week because the pile of washing is looking scarily tall (hello!). Or follow a good, healthy mix. But cultivate your social feeds so you enjoy what you're consuming, not so you feel judged by it.

3. Being The Best At Everything.

You're doing the best you can in an unfathomable situation. No, we aren't all going to the classes we thought we would be, or playing outside as much as we'd like, and maybe the TV has been on in the background more often than we ever wanted. Perhaps your child ate oatmeal and grapes for dinner because the battle was too exhausting. You know what? Great! They ate! That's awesome. 

The time for competition with yourself isn't now, and if you're not hitting the parental milestones you thought you would then give yourself a break. You can be the mum who makes the best chocolate chip chia muffins for the school bake sale next term.

4. Enjoying the Little Moments For Yourself.

And don't feel selfish about it. 

Toddler tired and went down to bed at 5:30pm? Instead of worrying about an early wake-up call, take the extra time to sit down with a coffee or a glass of wine, a good book or the next episode of Grey's, and relax. Walked past the park and it's quiet? Take ten minutes to let your child burn off some steam and push them on the swings. The fresh air will help and whatever you were on your way to do can probably wait in lieu of a bit of quality time together outside of the house. 

5. Asking for Help.

Oh boy. Us mums aren't great at that, are we? And it's difficult to ask for help at the moment since lockdown rules prohibit mixing of households unless you have a childcare or support bubble. But that doesn't mean there aren't other ways to ask for help if you're struggling. 

A friend might be happy to do the weekly food shop for you, or to take your child for a walk to give you some downtime. Need to vent about the stress of working from home? Call someone up for a chat. Not keen on Zoom calls? That's fine, me neither. But even a WhatsApp chat can take the load off. Got a toy or book wishlist for your child? Send it to a loved one and who knows, they might just send something back. 

Help is there, so don't be afraid to ask. People want to give aid to a friend who's struggling, and one day they might need to ask for the same. 

And a bonus: 6. Taking Enough Photos.

One day, one day soon, we will look back on lockdown life and remember it in a variety of different ways. The good and the bad. But what I'd love us to remember is the quality time we all had with our families, even if it was stressful and hectic and tear-inducing at times. Even if a long day felt like it lasted a week - don't remember that part. You don't need to document your child hating arts and crafts, sulking while you try and bake with them, or moaning as you go for a rainy walk because Fresh Air Is Good For You! 

Take the photo of your beautiful babe cuddled up asleep against you, and remember that moment, even if it's the only one you've taken all week. The moment when you could sigh, snuggle them close, and think of all the things you can do with them when the world opens up again.

Because it will. We'll go back to a sense of normality. But until then, try to take the pressure off. Even Wonder Woman needed some downtime.