Managing STRESS at Homr
The home is generally viewed to be everyone’s ultimate refuge. When one runs into trouble in the world outside, there is always the home to retreat to for comfort and support. The healing relationship that binds people sharing mutual love and good regard for one another is what is found in home.
That is the ideal concept of home. And, true, to a very good extent that’s what the home is. But this is not a perfect world, and even in the home there often arise arguments and conflicts. And these are better regarded as challenges to overcome, and not problems to destroy the relationship.
Irritants can be an unexpected illness, bad grades of the kids, financial difficulties, or undone house chores. Stress can take many faces in the home. In the
home where family members are prepared for such volatile times, there is a silver lining – they can emerge stronger and more prepared for future problems.
The website www.healthline.com shares some tips for helping family members handle stress at home and in their relationship:
Leave stress at the door. You do a good job of keeping a happy face at work, but maybe when you come home, you let your family have it. You may be inadvertently taking out your stress on your family and doing harm without realizing it.
If you’ve just ended a particularly stressful workday, pause before you walk through your door at night. Do some deep breathing or play some calming melody in your mind. This helps get you in a better mood before you see your spouse and children.
Share tasks. No one enjoys household chores, but these are things that have to be done. Evenly dividing chores like sweeping, taking out the trash, vacuuming, washing the dog, and raking the yard can prevent future conflict.
If everyone pitches in, no one person will feel put upon. It also allows for teaching moments with younger children so they learn not to become frustrated when they
aren’t fully capable of completing a task. In the process they will learn skills they will need to live on their own.
Eat together. Dinner hour is one of the most important times for the family to be together. On nights when you’re not rushing off for ballet or soccer practice, sitting in on a parent-teacher conference or meeting about an upcoming charity event, plan for your family to have dinner together. You get more than one good thing out of this.
The www.healthline.com website cites a study in the journal “Pediatrics” that children who eat meals with their family at least three times a week are 24 percent more likely to eat healthy foods, and 12 percent less likely to become overweight. A study from Brigham Young University, which the website also mentions, has found that those adults who sit down to a family meal in the evening reported their jobs to be more satisfying and healthier, suggesting dinner itself can reduce stress.
The time together at mealtime provides an opportunity for communication and relationship building. It allows parents to find out about things that might be causing their children stress. Parents can help them prevent future problems and teach them how to respond to the pressures they are facing now.
Have family activities. You don’t have to plan elaborate trips to theme parks or grand weekend outings. Setting aside one weekend a month or one night a week to spend as a family keeps communication channels open and allows you all to bond as a family. Play board games, do an art project, or go for a walk. It doesn’t have to be complicated, or even cost money.
Keep communication open. You know your children and spouse best. When they are acting differently or don’t seem to be themselves, you will likely pick up on that quickly. Instead of avoiding the obvious, ask what’s going on. Moody teenagers may rebuff your questions, but letting them know that you’re available to talk may encourage them to come around.
Living together as a family can present various stresses – but it can be very reassuring, as well. Spending time together, sharing chores, keeping communication channels open, and sitting down together to an evening meal together several times a week all help to make family life less stressful and more pleasurable for all.