Taking care of kids can be stressful, especially if you’re taking care of hyperactive kids that just love running around and doing naughty things.
That’s why it’s important to know how you can manage your stress so that you’re always at your best, and your stress won’t get in the way of taking care of your family.
Why do people get stressed in the first place?
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Whenever parents get worried, anxious, or tired, they start getting stressed. Being stressed keeps your body in constant tension, which means that too much stress has a lot of negative effects on your body.
In some cases, you can also get stressed when your body doesn’t get enough time to relax, and calm down.
Stress also causes more stress, since your body will find it hard to relax, and in turn you’ll have trouble sleeping, and it’s hard for you to concentrate or to focus on your tasks, which translates to not being at your 100% when it comes to taking care of your child.
How can parents manage stress?
Managing stress is all about pacing yourself. Don’t push yourself too hard, and don’t be afraid to ask for help if things are too much.
For parents whose kids have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD, it can be a bit difficult as their kids might be too hyperactive and hard to calm down. In cases like that, having a babysitter or a nanny who is capable of taking care of a child with ADHD is very important.
There are also some exercises that you can do in order to relax. Here are some exercises that you can do whenever you feel stressed, or if you have some time for yourself:
Progressive relaxation
You can do this by tightening the muscles in your legs, and then slowly releasing the tension. Don’t relax it all at once, do it slowly and gradually. Next, you do the same thing with your upper leg and hip muscles, tightening them as hard as you can, and releasing them gradually.
Do it again with your upper arms and shoulders, and lastly your chest muscles.
This method, called progressive relaxation, helps your body slowly calm down and lets your tense muscles relax.
Deep breathing exercises
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Doing deep breathing exercises can also help relieve stress. Oxygen helps give your body energy, and can help you relax. To do deep breathing, place your hands on your abdomen, right below your ribs. If you’re doing it right, you should feel that are expand and contract. Make sure to do it slowly, but consistently.
Do your favourite activities
If you can find the time to do some hobbies, then do so. Keeping yourself occupied with something that you’re interested in can really help keep you relaxed, reduce stress levels, and calm you down.
Rest
Taking a short nap, or just lying down for a few minutes can do wonders when it comes to reducing your stress levels. Rest helps your body recover, and helps you calm down if you feel stressed.
*This article is republished with permission from theAsianparent Philippines.
Source: childdevelopmentinfo.com, livescience.com
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