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Welcome to Day 7 or your 7 Day Super Stress Solutions Course. In the previous 6 days you learned about the stress response, how to determine the stages of stress you may be in, and how to improve your sleep as well as how to reduce headaches and cope more affectively with anxiety and as well about job stress and the signs of burn out and how to prevent them.
Super Stress Solution Day 7 Family and Stress - What can I do about it?.
One of the greatest challenges in modern times is the ability to juggle both the demands of family and work. This can become daunting especially when there is the expectation that family is our support system and is to buffer against the ravages of work demands and other stressors in our life. Unfortunately this is often not the case an in some instances the demands of family can be more stressful than other stressors in our lives. When you come home from a work day exhausted from decisions and deadlines all you may want is a little peace and quiet. Instead you may get a frustrated spouse, demanding kids and a rushed dinner because there's always a game or a meeting to go to right now.
Family stress is now becoming an issue in directly impacting upon ability to cope at work. If just one member of the family is under stress it can have a profound impact on the whole family. Just think of how a severely ill child or spouse would impact on ones overall stress levels. A workaholic father or a perfectionistic mother or interpersonal conflict can create a stressful climate that provides a ripple effect to everyone. Stressful family symptoms can include poor communication either through anger, lashing out, sharp words, and threat to actual violence to withdrawing, isolation, emotional abandonment and estrangement.
However there are specific ways in which families stress can be reduced so you can have a place of stability, support and a healthy foundation to go out and cope more affectively with life demands. Often when children are involved there is considerable imbalance created from focusing all your additional energies upon them therefore depleting your own necessary resources for self empowerment. Yes we may get a lot of satisfaction focusing entirely upon our children yet the fact remains its necessary check in with yourself and focus on breaking away and redefining what ones own natural passions are and what we need to have to create more balance in our lives.
Here are some useful tips that will be helpful in reducing family stress.
It is necessary to establish fun time and leisure activities that are unique to you and it is something you truly enjoy.
Also get away occasionally as your children may also benefit from a break. However if you have children it is beneficial to utilize appropriate stress reduction techniques to help them cope and adjust to the stressful demands of their lives as well. Above all children respond best to consistency and stability and what is expected from them in the home.
To reduce frustration and ambiguity it's necessary to have clearly defined roles and a specific task with an emphasis upon reward and acknowledgement for tasks completed.
Also if it is necessary to met out punishment that has consequences of an unfinished task that is as specific as the task requirement it's self.
Rules should also be reasonable and flexible and explicit. In the perfect home the child will model after their parents who also are consistent, dependable, responsible, and lead by example.
So make a conscious effort to do around the house what you
expect of your child and there certainly will be less conflict and
strife.
Furthermore parents often have unrealistic expectations, hopes, and dreams for their kids and run into conflict with them when they do not perform up to those standards. It's critical that you accept your child's limitations and do not compare and criticize your child's accomplishments.
Also it's helpful to encourage open and free expression whether it's a happy or sad emotion and acknowledge childhood pressures and become more sensitive to them even if they seem trivial to you.
Also expect some difficulties and resistance as your child is a separate genetic entity and may not respond to situations as you might have expected.
Really the family that plays together stays together so allow natural fun and spontaneity and play to flourish in your home as it will have a positive impact upon the spirit of your household. Remember what play lacks in depth it makes up for in height. Nothing can elevate your mood and reduce stress at home more than play, fun, spontaneity and laughter.
However having a stress free home is really by design not luck and requires considerable effort. With money, rules and has specific role expectations.
Make personal time for each member of the family a priority. Healthy families establish clear but flexible goals and they share equally in household responsibilities.
Healthy families communicate and express feelings not just words and place emphasis upon rituals and traditions as a cornerstone for maintaining uniqueness and a sense of family pride and history.
