How do you cope with stress?
I'm a stay at home mom with a two and a half year old, an almost seven month old (both girls
), a husband who works long hours, keeper of a 1.5 year old giant yellow lab, grower of hops, and all sorts of veggies and chicken keeper....oh and a part time student (working on my BSN and lactation consultant certification)...I know stress is detrimental to your immune system and general happiness and I would say all in all I am a happy person, but I do let stress get to me.
How do you relieve stress? As a family I can tell we are all affected by stress. I'd like to know how I can identify when we are stressed and deal with it positively and turn it into something good. We like keeping busy but I think we need to do something to encourage relaxation and de-stressing!
Any thoughts...experiences?
Thanks!
I'm a stay at home mom with a two and a half year old, an almost seven month old (both girls
), a husband who works long hours, keeper of a 1.5 year old giant yellow lab, grower of hops, and all sorts of veggies and chicken keeper....oh and a part time student (working on my BSN and lactation consultant certification)...I know stress is detrimental to your immune system and general happiness and I would say all in all I am a happy person, but I do let stress get to me.How do you relieve stress? As a family I can tell we are all affected by stress. I'd like to know how I can identify when we are stressed and deal with it positively and turn it into something good. We like keeping busy but I think we need to do something to encourage relaxation and de-stressing!
Any thoughts...experiences?
Thanks!
I'll go to the park and walk some trails, I NEVER go grocery shopping with kids or DH (Really, who wants to hear "MOM! I want this! followed by "Isn't there a cheaper version of that?") I'm solid about that one-you are NOT coming to the grocery store with me. Do you have any "grown up" time? After my kids are in bed is my "grown-up time". In the summer, I have a glass of wine on my front porch, DH and I watch our favorite shows, and just enjoy being relatively "kid-free" for a few hours. I think it helps to identify the "unnecessary" sources of stress and try to eliminate it from your life. You don't always have to pick up the phone when it rings, the garden can be weeded tomorrow, it is PERFECTLY acceptable to just sit on your butt and do nothing on rainy days, and equally acceptable to do something totally unplanned and random on sunny ones. Don't let life become a virtual "Groundhog Day" either. Do something different every day-this applies to the simplest tasks, and is good for fighting that "brain-is-melting" feeling. Do you normally load the glasses in the dishwasher before the plates? Do it the opposite way. If you mowed the grass in straight rows last week, do it in diagonal rows this week (it's better for the grass too!)
