Kristen Bell is prioritising her daughters' mental health

9 October 2020

Kristen Bell is taking steps to “prioritise” her daughters’ mental health as they continue to study from home.

Kristen Bell

The 40-year-old actress is helping to homeschool her two daughters - Lincoln, seven, and Delta, five, whom she has with her husband Dax Shepard - amid the coronavirus pandemic, and has said she always makes sure to give her brood a “five-minute break” when they find their work “too overwhelming”.

She said: "I'm going to prioritise her mental health, just like I prioritise my mental health, and if she is too overwhelmed, I'm going to shut the computer and take a five-minute break.”

Kristen also isn’t worried about her daughters missing out on too much whilst learning from home, as she added: “One day or one year is not going to break anyone.”

The ‘Frozen II’ star has been able to spend more time with her children amid the pandemic as they’ve all been staying at home, and Kristen is particularly thankful for the increased time she gets to spend with them before they go to bed.

She explained: "Now, since we don't have a lot on our plate in our evening, we take the time to lay with them in bed. I used to be a little hell bent on the time and I wanted them to get their sleep in and now there's this beautiful half hour where it's almost the only time of day where they're nice to each other. One's got a doll in her hand and the other one says, 'Here, let me braid that for you,' and she says, 'Thank you.’

“[It’s my] favourite part of day because we're just witnessing them in whatever the opposite of a witching hour is … their kindness hour, where their brains are starting to calm down and they're able to be nice to each other. I couldn't see that moment before the pandemic.”

Spending time at home has also allowed Kristen to relax a little more than usual, and she’s learned to give herself a break every now and again.

Speaking to Dr. Wendy Mogel at Advertising Week 2020, she said: "During this pandemic, what I really learned is, again, the grace from myself - just to let go of some of the things I wanted to control, like [having] to brush your teeth every night.”