Stress is contagious...yup it sure is. Even if you doubt that statement, I'm sure you can think of a time when you were as calm as a cucumber and entered a room with stressed out people, and you probably felt it.
Recent changes have led to increased stress levels in our homes, communities, nationally and globally. We are designed to handle stress, and some of us even seem to thrive initially when thrust into stressful situation. However, over time stress turns into distress, which can have negative consequences on our physical and mental health. We all have tipping points; thresholds. Right now some people are thriving, and some people are struggling. It's like a continuum and and you might be fluctuating weekly, daily or even hourly. Closures and restrictions have altered the way that many of us were managing our stress, and parenting with this imbalance is challenging to say the least. Whether you're thriving or already burned out, it's never a bad thing to schedule some time for stress management. How do I do that? Try asking yourself- what will/is nourishing me, and what is/will deplete me? Create a list or a diagram. If you don't know, as you move through the day, check in with yourself and ask whether you are nourished ( refreshed, calm, higher tolerance) or more depleted ( sad, bored, frustrated, drained). Can you add more nourishing activities to your day? Can you shift, change or modify some of the depleting activities ? Collaborate and communicate as a family with this activity- it would be a great way to learn about one another because we are all different- what nourishes one might deplete another. Discuss and brainstorm how everyone can try to create more balance in themselves and thus the home. We pass our calm onto our children. Our expectations need to shift right now; we need to find ways to be kind and gentle with other, but also ourselves because we never know someone else's stress level. Here are some additional links and information: Sonja Lyubomirsky's website has information and research on happiness including daily habits to cultivate it http://thehowofhappiness.com Self-compassion is a skill. Do you find yourself more critical of yourself than you are of others? Visit https://self-compassion.org Mindfulness which was discussed in our Blog, Dinner Table Conversations, as well as on our emotional regulation page . Take a free 8 week course on Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction by visiting https://palousemindfulness.com/ Comments are closed.
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