Child Development

How Your Stress Response Affects Your Children

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Stress is everywhere you look and you can either succumb to it or learn to let it flow right by you. Jobs are stressful, financial woes can be stressful and yes, children can be stressful. While many things in life can be stressful, nothing in life has to be stressful. It is all in how you look at it.

You may feel like screaming when your two year old scribbles all over the wall or your newborn soils a diaper moments after being changed. Screaming or pulling out your own hair, doesn’t do anyone any good however. It raises your blood pressure, shortens your life and possibly scares your child if you lash out.

Stress reduction or elimination techniques will go a long way toward improving the quality of all areas of your life. You may have to work at it a great deal to become one of those people who “nothing seems to bother” but it is possible.

Parents who are stressed can stress out their children. But if they manage stress in positive ways, they will teach valuable lessons to their children. No matter what situation arises, the way that a mom acts towards her children is important. Children will always scream, holler and cry even when things are going well. Separating the stressful event from the behavior of the children gives them security that mom’s love and care doesn’t change at these times. More4Kids.com

Some classic stress reducing techniques are:

• Exercise every day.
• Meditate
• Take time every day for yourself
• Eat well
• Practice Breathing exercises
• Repeat “This too shall pass”

It also helps many parents to remember that childhood disappears in the blink of an eye and only a fraction of infractions will matter in ten years time. Take a breath and a time out if necessary. One of the most important reasons to learn to control your stress response, other than your own physical and mental health is the health of your children.

Your responses to everything are a legacy that you will pass on to your children. Everything they know, they pick up from you. In addition to teaching them lifelong habits, you may also be scaring your children if you direct your stress response at them. Exercising a bit of self control and practicing stress reduction techniques now, will have payoffs for both you and your children for a lifetime.

Buy Indigo Dreams; 4 children’s stories designed to decrease stress and anxiety while increasing self esteem and self-awareness.
Image Source: http://flickr.com/photos/beija-flor/99665231/

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