How To Get Relief From Family Stress

Mandala Coloring Book 100+ Coloring Pages

Adult coloring books are a craze these days and for a good reason. It has been seen that coloring can help reduce stress in adults and aid relaxation.

Remember the time when you used to paint as a kid? How engrossed you got in this calming and creative activity. And how proud you were with the completed art wanting to share it with everyone. This is the exact sense of euphoria that will arise in your mind as an adult while coloring.

If you choose to give this gift, couple it with coloring pens, crayons and watercolors.

Opening Up To Your Family

Financial problems tend to impact the whole family and enlisting your loved ones support can be crucial in turning things around. Even if you take pride in being self-sufficient, keep your family up to date on your financial situation and how they can help you save money.

Let them express their concerns. Your loved ones are probably worriedabout both you and the financial stability of your family unit. Listen to their concerns and allow them to offer suggestions on how to resolve the financial problems youre facing.

Make time for family fun. Set aside regular time where you can enjoy each others company, let off steam, and forget about your financial worries. Walking in the park, playing games, or exercising together doesnt have to cost money but it can help ease stress and keep the whole family positive.

Cut Down On Unnecessary Stressors

Today’s kids and teens are more scheduled than in previous generations. In some ways, this is a positive thing: kids who are involved in many structured activities are exposed to skill-building experiences and have opportunities to make friends. However, ‘down time’ is important for kids and adults alike, and if kids are so over-scheduled that they have no time to decompress, they’re more likely to be stressed. Also, they likely won’t be learning when and how to set limits on their schedules as adults.

Here’s How: If you suspect your children are over-scheduled and over-stressed, learn to set priorities and cut back, just as you would with your own schedule.

Talk to your child and experiment with different levels of busy-ness you’ll likely find the right balance that way.

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Need Social Support Reach Out Even If Its Just A Phone Call To A Parenting Helpline

This should surprise no one, but it needs to be said: Parenting is a lot easier when youve got friends, family, or neighbors on your side.

Indeed, as Ive explained opens in a new windowelsewhere, human parents have always needed helpers. People who offer childcare help, emotional support, and economic aid.

So if you find yourself feeling isolated and overwhelmed, know that it isnt a personal failing. You arent supposed to be isolated. You arent supposed to be overwhelmed. You are supposed to be part of a supportive social network.

Heck, even monkey parents can count on the support of their friends and allies.

But what can you do if dont live near friends and relatives? Or lack people in your life who can provide you with the support you really need?

There are many options: Local parenting cooperatives. Online parenting communities and support groups. Trained therapists.

Enrolling in a parenting class can be helpful too. Studies indicate that parenting classes can reduce your feelings of anger, guilt, and stress particularly if your child has difficult behavior problems . But keep in mind: these effects usually fade after the classes end suggesting that its the ongoing social connections that matter.

Not sure where to find these resources? Try your family physician, as well as parenting helplines. For example, if you live in the United States, you can contact the opens in a new windowNational Parenting Helpline, operated by Parents Anonymous.

Help Children Cope With Their Own Stresses And Teach Siblings How To Work Out Their Differences

Kids arent born with an instinct for emotional self-regulation. They have to develop it, and they take their cues from us. Research suggests that parents can have a crucial impact on the way kids handle stress, especially if kids have difficult or high-strung temperaments.

It begins with smart choices we can make with our infants, and continues throughout childhood: Calm, upbeat, constructive talk about emotions can help preschoolers develop strong social skills, empathy, and self-control.

Kids also need to learn to get along with siblings, and it pays to be proactive.

When Nyantri Ravindran and colleagues showed mothers how to teach their young children conflict resolution skills like how to see things from your siblings perspective, how to negotiate, and how to calm yourself down when youre feeling angry or distressed the researchers didnt just see a reduction in sibling aggression. They also observed improvements in the ways that mothers handled their own emotions .

How can you help children handle stress, tension, conflict?

In addition, check out these evidence-based social skills activities for children and teens. And dont forget about the power of play. As I explain opens in a new windowhere, play is beneficial for the brain, and opens in a new windowoutdoor play in a natural setting may be especially helpful for a childs emotional health.

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Look For Practical Sleep Solutions But Dont Stress About Lost Hours And Fatigue

Poor sleep makes life difficult, so you want to fix sleep problems whenever you can. But some disruptions are inevitable, especially when youve got young children. What should you do?

By now it should be clear what not to do. Getting resentful, ruminating or worrying about your inability to function the next day isnt going to help.

As weve already seen, negative thoughts activate your brains stress circuits, so worrying will make it even harder to fall asleep when you finally get the chance.

Besides, your kids are likely to sense your emotions, and that will make it harder for them to sleep .

So dont give up on finding practical solutions to family sleep problems.

But dont brood about it either.

Research shows that people adapt better when they avoid making emotional judgments about the state of their tiredness, when they stop calculating their hours, stop worrying about tomorrow, and focus instead on acceptance and making the best of things. In fact, practicing this change of attitude is an effective treatment for insomnia .

Unique Stress Relief Gifts For The Overworked

Disclaimer: This article contains affiliate links, which means we get a small commission for purchases through links in this story . As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. .

Do you have people in your life who are overworked and stressed out?

If so, you can help them out by giving them the gift of relaxation.

The following is a list of 63 highly rated products aimed at helping you destress and relax.

You can use these products yourself or give them as stress relief gifts to your harried friends and family.

• 63. Your Time

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Strategies To Cope With Family Stress

Coping strategies to guide you and your family when dealing with everyday stress and crisis situations.

Stress is a normal part of life. We all encounter stress in a variety of different situations, forms and amounts. What causes stress for one person may seem like no big deal to someone else.

Stress can come from seemingly small events like heavy traffic or a long line at the store, or it can be a result of a crisis event, like the loss of a job, a death in the family, a pandemic such as that caused by the novel coronavirus, the virus that causes the infectious disease COVID-19, or the catastrophic flooding experienced in mid-Michigan.

The most important thing to do is to recognize, accept and manage your stress to avoid negative physical and emotional consequences. Stress that is not managed can manifest into chronic stress. Chronic stress has been shown to suppress your immune system, increase blood pressure and blood sugar levels and exacerbate underlying conditions like anxiety and depression.

Figuring out what stress management tools work best for you can be a process. While there is no perfect way to manage stress, here are some tips that may work for you and your family:

Michigan State University Extension has a variety of classes to help people learn to manage stress. Please visit our website to find offerings and experts in your area.

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Holiday Self Care Tips For Caregivers

1. Make time for yourselfIts easy to get caught up in the whirlwind of extra tasks and hassles that the holidays bring.

Added on top of regular caregiving responsibilities, it can really amp up the stress.

To counter that, make it a priority to take a little time for yourself to sit quietly, relax, and recharge.

Remind yourself that this isnt a waste of time. In fact, taking brief time-outs can make you more effective and efficient because you wont be so frazzled.

2. Know your prioritiesThere are dozens of things going on during the holidays, but its impossible to do everything without running yourself ragged.

So, take a moment to consider which are the most important to you?

Taking time to consider what gives you the most meaning and fulfillment helps you prioritize activities, events, and even people.

That helps you focus your time and energy so you wont feel so overwhelmed and drained.

3. Take care of yourself during difficult family interactionsThe holiday season often means spending time with people you may not see the rest of the year.

That can mean spending time with family or others who criticize your caregiving, dont help out, or are unsupportive or unkind.

Since you cant simply avoid these people, the best way to protect yourself is to keep contact as minimal as possible and stay neutral and civil.

4. Make room for grief if youre missing someone who has passed awayThe holidays can be tough when youre missing someone important to you.

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Get Out And Exercise But Make It Fun

Aerobic exercise protects the body against the effects of physical and psychological stress . It may also boost your mood, lower anxiety levels , and stimulate the growth of new neurons in the brain.

But experiments suggest these results depend on free choice. When exercise is forced involuntary it can increase stress levels .

Highly Effective Tips For Relieving Stress

There isn’t a one-size-fits-all option when it comes to stress relief, however. What works for one person might not work for another.

And what works for you at home might not be an option when you’re at work or in the community .

So it’s important to have a variety of stress relief tools at your disposal. Then, you’ll be able to pick a strategy that works best for your current circumstances.

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Find Your Pause Button

After experiencing times of great change, high demand, or significant loss, its essential to press pause and rest. Often creating time and space for rest means saying no to invitations and requests for help, at least temporarily, says Callahan. Consider spending quiet time daily: contemplation, reflection, and breathing fosters resilience and calm.

Reframe Your Thinking About Stress Itself

Stress responses, including faster heart rate and breathing, evolved to improve our performance in stressful situations. Reminding yourself of stresss evolutionary value may improve your performance and paradoxically reduce feelings of stress, in that youre not adding stress about stress to the stress the original trigger aroused.

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Aromatherapy Diffuser With 6 Essential Oils

This is a complete aromatherapy kit for beginners where you get a aroma diffuser along with 6 pure essential oils. All you need to do to get this product working is add water and your favorite essential oil. The aroma is diffused in the air in the form of mist that also moistens the air that aids breathing.

The diffuser has the capacity to change between 7 colors, so you can even use it as a relaxing night light. You can use this product at home or in the office because of its compact built and noiseless functioning making this the perfect stress relief gift.

Best Ways To Manage Stress

Goal setting and relaxation techniques reduce stress and ease the physical and emotional burdenit can take.

Stressful experiences come in many forms, such as a demanding job, a chronic disease, or an argument with a loved one. But all types of stressorseven stress from positive experiences,such as planning a partycan result in the same physical and emotional burden on health, especially when you’re an older adult. “As we age, our immune systems are less efficient, and adding stress to that can lead to disease progression or the onset of disease,” says Dr. Ann Webster, a health psychologist at the Benson-Henry Institute for Mind Body Medicine at Harvard-affiliated Massachusetts General Hospital.

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Connect With Fellow Parents

Form connections with families whose kids are similar in age to relate to others in the same boat, suggests Dr. Pomeranets. Youll find youre not alone.

This helps to normalize any feelings of stress, explains Ms. Zufan. Talking with other parents lets me know that everyone goes through similar stressors, she says.

Get Debt Help From A Non

Debt is a topic many of us arent comfortable discussing, so we tend to keep our struggles to ourselves and bear the burden on our own. And, this results in a constant state of worry and fear, which can affect our health, relationships, job performance, and how we function in our day-to-day lives.

When people are under stress, they often turn to a physician, or even a psychiatrist, for help. But when the cause of your worry or anxiety stems from financial problems, getting help may not seem as easy. However, what many people arent aware of is that you can get debt help through a non-profit service.

If you have money problems and youve been dealing with debt stress for some time, calling an accredited, non-profit credit counselling society is the best thing you can do for yourself, and for your finances. A credit counsellor will thoroughly go through your finances, help you put together a budget, and they will also provide you with a list of options that can help you get your finances back on track, all at no cost to you.

With a plan in place, youll feel a tremendous sense of relief knowing that youre well on your way to becoming financially free. If youd like to make an appointment to speak with one of our counsellors, you can give us a call, and one of our client care specialists will be happy to assist you.

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Lavender Based Heated/chilled Eye Pillows

These eye pillows can used either heated or chilled. They offer gentle pressure on the eyeballs and help the user get deep relaxing sleep.

If you are planning to buy this gift, consider buying eye pillows that use lavender. Lavender is known to help sooth the nerves and cause deep relaxation. It is also known to aid sleep, reduce headaches and migraines.

Deal With Family Drama

Sometimes families are filled with gossiping, backstabbing, and other types of relational drama. When this happens, it is best to shut it down or stay out of it altogether. Nothing good comes from throwing shade, talking behind people’s backs, and pitting people against one another.

Even if you don’t participate in the drama, just listening to the mean words communicates that you might condone it. Instead, try redirecting the conversation or walking away. You also can be more direct and indicate that you are not comfortable with the conversation.

The key is to let your family member know that you don’t want to be part of the drama.

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What To Do After You Submit A Fmla For Stress

Once you submit a request, your human resources department will look at the details, ask clarifying questions, and use any additional information you offer to approve or deny your leave. Your employer has five days from your initial request to decide. If you are denied, the employer must provide at least one reason why.

Your employer may want proof for any medical claims. Without this proof, your request may be denied. Your employer can ask for details such as how long you are expected to be away from work due to the health condition or information about symptoms, doctors’ visits, and treatments. These details are for human resources use only. Be careful not to provide more than what is asked for. Avoid sending sensitive details to co-workers, direct supervisors, or your management team.

Can Stress Be Positive

Research has shown that stress can sometimes be positive. It can make you more alert and help you perform better in certain situations.2 However, stress has only been found to be beneficial if it is short-lived.

Excessive or prolonged stress can contribute to illness such as heart disease3 and mental health problems such as anxiety and depression.4

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