We love our children and mostly find them very rewarding but
family life can be very stressful.
Each age has it’s own challenges, from toddlers to
teenagers. Add this to the problems of everyday life and it’s
not surprising most of us feel stressed at some point.
Stress makes us feel anxious, and may cause us to react in ways
we wouldn’t normally. You may find you can usually cope with
difficult situations but if several things happen at the same time
then you are likely to feel more stressed than usual.
Stress can affect people in different ways. You may find you
have so many things to think about, you don’t know where to
start. You may find yourself being more tearful. You may snap at
the family and feel tired, annoyed and bad tempered. Stress can add
to physical problems, such as headaches or eczema that in turn may
make life more difficult to cope with.
Not surprisingly if one member of the family is stressed it can
affect you all. You end up feeling worse and that you are going
round in circles.
How you see stressful situations and deal with them is very
important. Some people sail through difficulties while others find
it very hard to cope. How you deal with stress is down to your
personality and also how you were brought up and how your own
parents dealt with stressful situations.
You cannot get rid of all the stresses in your life but you may
be able to tackle some. This will help ease the pressure you feel
under. Make a list of stress factors and write down ways of working
them out. It’s also a good idea to:
- Talk. Let your family and friends know that you feel stressed
and give them a chance to help
- Plan ahead. Make lists of things you need to do and how
- Take a break. Have an evening out with a friend
- Relax. Give yourself some time each day to just sit and relax
or read a magazine. Things won’t fall apart around you, if
you do!
- Make time to do some exercise, it helps relieve stress.
Activities can include: walking, swimming etc
- Get help. You don’t have to struggle alone. Ask friends
and family to give a helping hand. There are also organisations
that can help you deal with some issues.
