5 Tips to Cope with Parenting Stress
The joys of parenting! It’s that time of year when the kids are back in school, and the season is changing to the holiday rush and winter blues. Your mornings are spent getting everyone prepared for the day and out the door. You work a job that may or may not be stressful in its own right. Afterward, your focus returns to chauffeur, maid, coach, and cook.
It all adds up, right? As wonderful as this role is, it isn’t always fun and games. Learning to manage your parenting-related stress can be paramount in maintaining your familial relationships as well as your own physical and mental health. If you don’t take the proper breaks and care for yourself, your body will take them for you. Here are some helpful tips and tricks.
Take Your “Me Time”
By now, you’re likely familiar with the commercials where the mom is hiding in the closet for a moment of silence, possibly enjoying a snack of some kind. While hiding in the closet may not be your thing (if it is, no judgment), those moments for yourself are really important.
Carve out some time each day; little time-out breaks for yourself, so to speak. Focus on things that bring you joy and re-center you in times of higher stress. Practice deep breathing or meditation. Enjoy that cup of coffee in silence. Jot some thoughts down in a journal; might I recommend a daily parenting win?
Family Fun Time
The day-to-day grind can become monotonous and robotic. It happens to everyone. You get stuck in a pattern, and before you know it, routines feel like chores. Look for activities that bring your kids joy and find new ways to incorporate that. Are your kids into certain movie characters? Have a themed party or get together to mix it up. Plan that family vacation that will give everyone a sense of relaxation and enjoyment. Enter into their world of make-believe. Adults lose that sense of wonder that children see in the world. Try taking some of it back. Make a blanket fort with the kids, do crafts, read books, anything and everything to get some laughs in.
Maintain Physical Activity
Regardless of what the stressor is, research has shown that physical activity can reduce tension and relieve stress. Anything from yoga to walking to high-intensity workouts throughout the week will help to manage it. If your kids are little, you can even bring them into the mix. Adapting workouts for the kids to participate in can bring its own joy. Or even taking five minutes to have a dance party, do jumping jacks, or jump rope can get the heart pumping and our brain less stressed.
Get Those Hugs In
It is human nature to need physical touch and that connection piece to be happy. When you share any kind of physical contact, it sends a message to your brain, which stimulates the production of hormones in your body to reduce tension and achieve a calm state.
Here’s where the simple act of a hug comes in. This basic contact triggers those signals in the brain but also can make you feel more in tune with your body. Studies being done on the number of hugs needed each day to be happy state eight is the magic number. So hug your partner and hug your kids close.
Know That It Takes A Village
Once you have kids, it’s easy for them to become your entire world. But you shouldn’t be theirs. No parent is meant to play every role in their child’s life. You can still be supermom or dad while asking for help from your support system. Find that healthy balance with others to avoid burnout. Finding yourself feeling continuously stressed? Reach out for more support with parenting counseling.
