What Is Parenting Stress?
Part of being a parent is being able to juggle a million demanding and important things all at the same time. This pressure can start to become stressful after a while, especially if it is not managed effectively. If you are feeling tired, overwhelmed, mentally, physically and physiologically exhausted and the thought of cutting yet another piece of toast into a cheesy triangle makes you want to lie in a dark room and listen to the tap drip – then you will be delighted to know two things: One, you are not alone and two, it is possible to alter the amount of parental stress you are experiencing every day.
Stress Management Techniques For Parents
Stress management is something that takes self-discipline and assistance, and parents need to understand that asking for help shows signs of maturity and strength. Being proactive enough to say “I can’t do this on my own” and getting the help and support you need, is not a sign of weakness. Recognizing that parental stress is problem and searching for stress management techniques is the first step. Try some of these easy tips below.
- Work Together – Routine, help from other family members and quality family time, will keep your family team strong and healthy, and will reduce the stress levels significantly. If one parent or both parents feel like they are slaves to a demanding family who never help – and even 3 year olds can pick up after themselves – the stress levels are going to be high.
- Open Communication – Sometimes it is just a matter of feeling seen and heard. Talking about how you feel stressed with your partner may be a great way to vent some steam and even come up with constructive ideas together for how to reduce trigger points.It is a good idea for parents to take time to sit down together and work out a game plan for where they feel the big stress areas are and how they can work together to manage them. In this way they are able to implement change using a process that involves the whole family.
- Take Quiet Time And Plan Ahead – Part of effective parental stress management techniques for parents is planning ahead and being organized. Staying up an extra half an hour to pack school lunches or iron shirts, will greatly enable parents to feel less chaotic, rushed and frantic when schedules are tight and everyone is always feeling like they are running late.
- Time Out – Some people can recharge their batteries better through time alone to pamper and think, while others need social time to feel more connected. To address this, parents should set aside time where they can reward themselves in a way that works for them. This could simply be an hour of relaxation, a dinner out, a massage or meditation. Try different things and see what you need. You can’t pour from an empty cup.
- Exercise – Getting exercise is shown to reduce anxiety significantly. According to the ADAA, “Exercise and other physical activity produce endorphins—chemicals in the brain that act as natural painkillers—and also improve the ability to sleep, which in turn reduces stress. Meditation, acupuncture, massage therapy, even breathing deeply can cause your body to produce endorphins.” There are lot’s of quick, simple and fun workouts on the Famli app you can try.
- This Too Shall Pass – Remember when raising kids, everything changes so quickly and each age will have its demands and rewards. As your children get older, relationship building becomes important for strong ties and emotional connections, which in turn helps to promote a healthy family environment and eliminate the build up of stress and associated family problems. The more effort that is put into the family relationship, the better the chance is for a happy and loving future.
Summary
Suffering from parenting stress is completely normal. However, working to develop stress management techniques is also completely normal and a great way to deal with things before they get out of hand. I hope you find these coping skills useful.
Thank you for reading!
Benjamin Draper, Famli Co-Founder