Give Your Family a Rest from Daily Stress
June 29, 2009 by Jo
Filed under Children, Family, Health, Managing Life
If you feel like your family hasn’t had a moment to catch its breath since school started, you’re not alone. Between parents’ work schedules and children’s activities, many families today are coping with levels of stress that were unknown 10 or 20 years ago. Many kids are over-programmed in extracurricular activities; some are also dealing with new or step-siblings, separation, and frequent moves. Between work and family obligations, many parents are busier than ever. And with extended families so dispersed, there are few support systems in place.
As a result, many parents are so stressed out that they’re not always aware 
that their children are stressed out, too—-until the stress begins to cause disruptive behavior or physical problems. While you can’t insulate your children from many of the stressful psychological and physical changes of growing up, there are things you can do to help your family minimize the negative effects of stress.
Manage your own stress more effectively by being more selective about what you commit yourself to do and allowing time for relaxation, meditation, exercise, and enjoyable activities. Kids feed off their parents’ moods, so you might unwittingly be aggravating your child’s stress.
Make time for the family to be together for quiet activities such as having dinner, reading, putting together puzzles, doing a simple art project, or just talking together.
Set limits on the use of television and high-tech toys. Kids often get over-stimulated by technology and don’t realize that it’s making them grumpy and tired. They might protest at first, but they’ll quickly adapt–and get involved with other activities.
Help your family get more organized to minimize stress. You might, for example, want to get clothing laid out and lunches made each evening for the next day; designate special places or receptacles for school items; or create a centralized family calendar so everyone can see what’s going on at a glance.
Encourage your children to “just say no” to activities that are simply too much for them to handle. They need to learn how to recognize–and communicate–that they’re too tired, too busy, or simply not interested.
Make sure your children get plenty of sleep. The American National Center on Sleep Disorders Research recommends at least nine hours of sleep a night for children ages 7 to 11.
Be aware of signs of severe stress in your children. Chronic stomach pains, frequent diarrhea, temper tantrums, or frequent falls might just be symptoms of burnout and exhaustion. If your child shows these symptoms and has been under unusual or chronic stress, talk to your medical care provider about how to help your child. For families with complex situations or severely stressed children, a developmental pediatrician or psychologist can also be helpful.
Above all, give children time to just be–and to involve them in decisions about what activities they do. What’s right for one child might be too much for another. That’s why making the time to be together and talk with each other is not only beneficial in itself, but will help you make the right decisions about how your family spends the rest of its time.
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