5 Ways to Cope with Parenting Stress
Stress and parenting are two words that can feel synonymous with one another. Let’s face it: parenting is a rewarding and stressful role. Stressors can be from a job or overall life events such as picking children up from school or daycare on time. It can also be the time crunch of getting them to activities before they’re late.
While it can be difficult to admit that you’re stressed, learning to manage stress can help give you the patience and energy you want to be the parent you want to be.
When feeling stressed as a parent, staying calm can feel nearly impossible. It’s important in these times to remind yourself that you’re the adult, and you need to set a positive example for your child. Below, we will discuss five ways to cope with parenting stress.
1. Avoid Bringing Stress Home to Your Family
This can be easier said than done, but separating work from your home life and parental duties is a great first step to reducing parenting stress. Consider taking a walk when you can or doing some activity or errand after work to have time to decompress. Also, if your job permits, avoid working during family time.
2. Look for Ways to Have Fun with Your Family
When schedules permit, try to find activities to do as a family that everyone will enjoy. This could include reading to your child at night, attending your child’s sporting or school events, going to the zoo or park, or cooking or baking something together. It may be something you do one-on-one or as a group; either option is fine. The key here is to find activities you can enjoy with your children that you can look forward to each day or week.
Something to note, though, is to avoid over-scheduling. It’s normal to want to do it all and not miss out on things, but try to avoid over-scheduling yourself during downtimes. When you over-schedule, it can lead to children being stressed out due to tight schedules. It can also lead to not being able to fully enjoy moments because you’re already focusing on what’s next instead of what’s in front of you.
3. Offer Choices When Possible
Sometimes, children want to do what they want when they want it. One easy way to avoid their determination becoming stressful is to give them choices when you can. This can include letting them choose between a couple of options for their meals or snacks. It can also be letting them choose between a couple of different activities.
4. Give Yourself Time to Relax
Take time for yourself every day. Whether it’s 15 minutes or an hour, giving yourself time and space to reset and recharge is important. You can do this by meditating, practicing yoga, reading, or watching a show you enjoy.
5. Show Consistency Between Both Parents
It’s important to remain consistent so that both you and your children know the rules and what’s expected. Many families will try to have the good cop/bad cop approach. While it may seem like a good idea, it can confuse the children and create tension between parents.
Another way to show consistency is to form and maintain routines. This can help avoid stress for parents. It will give children consistency and give the parents structure to fall back on. If a child knows their after-school schedule, they can focus on their work while you focus on other necessary tasks.
It’s important to understand that sometimes life will be more stressful than others. The more you can experience positive interactions with your kids, the easier it will be to create lifelong memories.
If you or your parenting partner would like help coping with parenting stress, a counselor can help. Reach out today to learn more about parenting coaching.
