Stress can often end up so much more than just a residue left over from your day at work. It is a destructive but commonplace entity that insidiously affects your entire household. Just like any other emotional state, being stressed out is contagious – it can and will spread to your children! Yes the simple old adage of “coughs and sneezes – spread diseases” needs updating with a psychosomatic cocktail of emotional add-ins. Even if you are the sole bread-winner, bringing unattended baggage of stress from work (or wherever) can bring home negative feelings that breed and create a state of tension in all other members of the family. In today’s society, stress is inevitable; but dealing with it organically – reducing its effects on your loved ones – is paramount to the health and happiness of both you and your family circle.
Children Catch Your Stress: Learn the Signs of Childhood Tension
You are probably familiar with the symptoms of stress in yourself and other adults, but many parents are not so good at recognizing the indications that their child is experiencing stress. Children show signs of stress in many different ways. By identifying these behaviors for what they are, you can make your child’s home a happier and easier place to live.
How Children Express Their Emotional State
Although you may think your child is too small to pick up on your stressed-out state, young children and babies have not developed our level of sophisticated intellect that toughens our skin: they are actually highly susceptible to tension. They may develop behavioral problems or have trouble sleeping. Some children become hyper and overly alert, while others cling to their parents more than usual or exhibit more attention-grabbing behavior patterns. Sometimes, a child will regress to past behaviors such as sucking their thumb or wetting the bed when experiencing residual stress.
Stay Tuned In to Changes in Your Child’s Behavior
It’s easy to recognize many of these conduct changes as stress-related when children have experienced a trauma or death in the family, but household stress can silently sneak up on parents, making these behaviors hard to recognize for what they are. What you might see as typical childhood behavior – or misbehavior – could actually be an early indicator that you need to lower the amount of anxiety your child is coming into contact with.
Protect Your Child from Stress – Your Own Example Is Best
Some stress is inevitable, but you can shield your child from many of its bad effects by taking a few simple steps. Make your home a refuge from tension by reducing your own and other family tension levels. Less stress coming into the home means less stress on your family. Try yoga or meditation to bring your stress levels down. This will not only make you and your child feel better, it will make both of you more receptive to bonding. If you discuss this with your spouse and other family, do it from the level of experience – don’t just spout some words you’ve been impressed by – first try it out yourself; the impact of what you say is fuller if spoken from experience. Be an example that they can relate to.
Create a Relaxing Environment
Children like to make or have noise and activity, but too much television or loud music can cause unnecessary tension. Take time away from stimuli like this to read to your child or do an art project. You can also use stress-reducing products like this free relaxation audio. This can help both of you relax and build a sense of peace within your home.
Keep Your Household Healthy
Another way to establish serenity in the household is to nurture your child’s physical health as well as his emotional well-being. In addition to a nutritious diet, you can help your child play, sleep, and learn better by establishing a healthy, toxin-free environment. Consider repainting with VOC-free paints, which do not contain the harmful chemicals given off by traditional paints. Using organic household cleaning products will also make your home safer. Children are highly sensitive to their surroundings, so make sure your child’s room is peaceful and nourishing. Use a mild color scheme and wholesome materials – consider organic bedding for baby and family and natural colored window dressings – to keep your child’s mind and body well.
Make Physical Contact with Your Child
Not all household stress originates through work or from adults. Children feel stress as a result of normal sibling pressures, school, and even relationships with parents. You can work to release the tension that crops up between you and your child by having simple conversations with your child and bringing him closer, both physically and emotionally, asking skillful questions so ensuring dialogue. Carrying your child with you while you do housework or run errands is an excellent way for both of you to feel connected. Using a baby sling or wrap with younger children can make even the most mundane chores a wonderful bonding experience by keeping your child close to your heart. This gives opportunities to reconnect with your child after a tantrum or a stressful day at work or play! Slings are perfect for that re-assurance and developing a physical closeness with your child.
Give Your Child the Gift of Serenity
You won’t be able to protect your child from all of life’s stresses – be they at home, in school or on the playground; but you can keep unnecessary tension out of your house and give your precious baby the resources he needs to enjoy life more fully and recoup. The best antidote for stress is happiness, so staying physically and emotionally close to your child could very well be both the cure and the reward for a stressed out parent.
Contributor: Julian Pollock publishes organicfamilycircle.com as a means of expressing and encouraging a more holistic and organic lifestyle. He includes down-to-earth evaluations of products such as comparisons of organic and standard baby cribs and with a "bottom dollar" approach.
You can follow any responses to this article through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
