Stress Awareness Month has been held every April since 1992 to increase awareness about the causes and cures of this modern phenomenon. “Even though we’ve learned a lot about stress in the past twenty years,” Dr. Morton C. Orman, M.D., Founder and Director of HRN, writes on the Stress Awareness Month website, “we’ve got a long way to go. New information is now available that could help millions of Americans eliminate their suffering.”
Families today definitely fit the bill for being overworked and overstressed. We are running in dozens of directions both at home, work and running our kids to all their extracurricular activities. Spring truly is a time to reevaluate and get back in control. In light of this, Mighty Mommy shares 6 ways that families can embrace Stress Awareness Month and make some simple changes that could have a lasting impact all year long.
#1. Take Back Your Personal Health
Taking control of your personal health can make a great difference in the amount of stress you feel. The best way to reclaim control of your life is by taking charge of your body. Whether it is through diet, exercise, or simply getting that check up you've been putting off, let April be the month you put yourself back in control. QDT’s Get-Fit-Guy, Ben Greenfield, is an expert in the matter of getting your body into great physical and mental shape. In How to Get Back Into Shape, he states, “So when you're trying to get back into shape after a substantial break, should you ease into it or should you just shock your system? Whether you've been inspired by a New Year's resolution, an uncooperative wardrobe, or an unfriendly bathroom mirror, my article will teach you how to get back into shape quickly and safely after a break from exercise.”
Ben Greenfield lays out an easy plan for the first 2-6 weeks of re-entry into the world of physical activity. You know your family best, so adapt some regimens that work for you. Perhaps you can commit to all walking the dog together each night after dinner, or forgo dessert and instead do some yard clean-up. Clear your Saturday for family time that includes hiking or bike riding. Hit the farmers’ market and make meals from farm-to-table ingredients several times a week. Substitute soda or sugar drinks for ice cold water. Healthy choices on a regular basis will curb the stress in your family’s daily lives.
#2. Practice Random Acts of Kindness
Living in the 21st century means living in a material-laden world. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with our kid’s enjoying the many sophisticated products of this wonderful time we live in, but they also need to learn the art of gratitude and how to do kind things for others just for the sake of paying it forward. Practicing monthly random acts of kindness as a family is a great way to do something special together that will automatically decreases the stress and increases the joy level in your household. Some ideas are:
Week One: Surprise! Anonymously leave a note, treat, artwork, and/or gift for a stranger.
Week Two: Create! Select a project that inspires childhood creativity.
Week Three: Give! Pick a way to give that spreads love, joy and encouragement.
Week Four: Serve! Find a way to help others with your actions! (Volunteering & Community Service)
Week Five: Thank! Develop a way to express appreciation and gratitude to those who make our world a better place. For more ideas, check out my "Mighty Acts of Random Kindness" board on Pinterest.
#3. Read about Happiness
When life becomes a roller coaster and you don’t have a chance to catch your breath, you can do yourself and your family a world of good by slowing down and shifting gears. One such way to do that is to stop your crazy daily routine and make some time to get inspired. Reading the right books are one such way to make this happen, and thankfully, we have some wonderful authors who have chosen to write about a much-needed topic: happiness. Here are some choices for both adults and kids that can easily make an impact on relieving a bit of stress with these happier thoughts.
Happy This Year!: The Secret to Getting Happy Once and for All by Will Bowen
The Happiness Project by Gretchen Ruben
Happy by Pharrell Williams
The Jar of Happiness by Alisa Burrows. This is a sweet book with a great message that is presented in a way that preschoolers and young elementary kids can relate to.
#4. Have a Good Laugh Together
According to the Mayo Clinic, laughter is a great stress reliever and alleviates tension in the body while boosting our overall mood. In our house with 8 children, 2 dogs and a bunny laughter truly is the best medicine. Whether we watch a funny movie or TV show, tell each other jokes, or just get silly for absolutely no reason—we can turn the dial from high stress to plain old fun in no time at all.
#5. Organize your life
Organization offers a sense of control and peace of mind, and there’s a number of ways you can improve in this regard. Today’s parents are juggling more activities, obligations, work commitments, and family matters than ever before. With life continually getting busier, there is one thing that can make the difference between a calm and stress-free household and a chaotic, overwhelmed one—organization! Check out 10 Ways to Be a More Organized Parent to find ways to de-stress your household by way of getting everything in order from your home’s entryway, to your car, meal planning, morning routine, and more.
#6. Find a Calming Routine
When you work to manage your own behavior first, you effectively neutralize the power struggle and keep stress at bay.
We do so many things automatically without even thinking about it, such as lash out at our kids when they behave badly in public. This happens because we want to get our kids under control first and foremost and forestall any further embarrassment. But in reality, the thing that would be most productive is to get our own stress levels in check before responding to the child’s outburst.
When one of my kids is pushing my buttons or doing something that I find completely unacceptable, I count to 10 (sometimes a lot more!) and talk to myself in the process. “Stay calm and in control,” I tell myself. By taking a few seconds to step away from my child’s poor behavior and get my own feelings in check, I can usually shift from being frustrated and ready to lash out to a reasonable state where I can handle my child’s situation without losing my composure. When you work to manage your own behavior first, you effectively neutralize the power struggle and keep stress at bay.
See also: 10 Ways to Handle Difficult Days
How do you keep stress at a minimum in your home?
Please share your thoughts in the comments section at http://ift.tt/1zMEe2L, post your ideas on the Mighty Mommy Facebook page. or email me at mommy@quickanddirtytips.com. Visit my family-friendly boards at http://ift.tt/1wyJKr5.
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