Unfortunately, stress and worry are very much a part of life for most of us. Becoming parents can certainly bring added worry too, particularly with the sudden influx of responsibility.
Managing that stress can be hard, you can feel very alone and pretty trapped in your little bubble. It's important to take charge, get help if need be and do whatever it takes to make you feel calm and settled in your role as a parent, whether you're a new parent or an experienced one.
I've collaborated with some other parents to bring some tips and coping strategies that may just help you or someone you know on those tougher days. Here's 7 tips to help us all cope with the stresses of parenthood when they arise.
1. Me - Wafflemama - If you find yourself feeling worried or stressed, the first focus is to always surround yourself by people that have a positive impact on your life. This can be huge, knowing you have a 'real' support network instantly lessens life's stresses. Secondly, don't worry about things you can't control or change. This is so important. Things don't always go as we'd like them to and if we can't change it then that worry is purely wasted energy that we could put to far better use elsewhere. Finally, always look for the positives. No matter how dire a situation may seem, there's always a silver lining, a happy moment, a kind person, something pretty to look at. It's so easy to focus on the bad things, but we need to stop and think of at least one positive, to blow those woes right out of the water.
2. The
thing that helps me the most when it comes to managing stress & worry is
trying to live in the present as much as possible. Worry exists when our
thoughts are focused on the future and if we can take a few seconds to centre
ourselves and pay attention only to the sounds, sights and smells of the
present moment it is almost impossible to feel worried anymore.
3. I find I get the most stressed out when I feel overwhelmed by my to do
list so I make myself do one thing. It might not be the most important thing on
my list but it is something which is better than nothing and often
gives me momentum to do other things. If I feel all of us are getting stressed
out then I try and inject some humour into the situation - there's nothing like
a good laugh to diffuse stress! If all else fails I find a friend to have a bit
of a whinge at - I call it my therapy!
Emma Morrell at Wanderlust
and Wet Wipes
4. When it comes to stress I
find prevention is better than a cure. Preventing stress is all about knowing
yourself and what's important to you. I like to map out my weeks to make sure I
have time for the things that are important to me and that replenish me -
exercise, writing and time with my husband. When life gets a bit crazy and I
don't have time for these things I feel off balance and easily stressed. I have
started cancelling plans to make space for what's important to me.
Katie
Shozi from Coffee With Katie.
5. I can be quite a worrier - whether it's related to work, my family or
just something I have said! But it's always my Dad's advice I come back to when
I can't shake the stress or worry off. He says 'these things are here to
challenge us'! And he's right - quite often they are. Now this doesn't ever
solve my issue and quite often I find that incredibly frustrating! I want the
problem or worry to disappear - but of course, it never just vanishes just like
that. However, hearing this mantra does always put things in a completely
different light and I find I can tackle whatever is bothering me a little bit
more. Carrie Wootten from My Circle UK
6. I am a huge worrier, due to personal circumstances, it can be hard to
find away to work through it. Relieving stress I find walking it out can really
help. Be in the fresh air, even in the rain. We were thrust into a lifetime of
living with grief, it has been a lonely time; in the beginning rather than
being met with people obviously avoiding us (crossing the street), we'd get up
early in the morning and walk.
We would walk miles and miles, I felt it helped to ground us. By the
time the walk was finished we'd be a lot more relaxed, we'd be ready to face
whatever was giving us stress.
Over these last few years we have followed the mantra of 'picking your
battles'; stepping back to see whether the situation really is as stressful as
I think it is, and attempt to deal with it in a gentler way. Julz
Scott from The Red Head Diaries
7. Many people comfort eat when they are stressed though I have found
through my weight loss journey (I lost 10 stone) that this is something I
needed to approach as if you have a lot of stresses the weight can easily pile
on. Therefore my biggest tip is to find something you enjoy doing to relax but
not to comfort eat as if you put weight on through lots of comfort eating it
just adds to your stresses.
Jen from www.justaveragejen.com
*collaborative post
