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 Helpful
Hints for Reducing Family Stress
(ARA) - Anyone who's been
to the mall recently knows there's a lot of stress on families
these days. Parents are under strain from working long hours
on top of their other responsibilities and kids are overloaded
with school and extra curricular activities. There isn't enough
time to get everything done, let alone occasions for relaxing
and spending time together as a family.
Stress at home can affect job and school performance, which in
turn causes more stress. For this reason and many others, maintaining
a stress-free home environment is very important.
"The home should be a place
for families to relax, recharge and rejuvenate," says Todd
Imholte, president of Environmental Graphics, a Minneapolis company
that offers interior wall murals designed to create a soothing
home environment.
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Is your family under too much
stress? Here are some signs that you may be doing too much:
1. Cleaning up the dining area means getting the
fast food bags out of the back seat of your car.
2. You refer to your dining room table as the flat
filing cabinet.
3. Your grocery list has been on your refrigerator
so long some of the products don't even exist any more.
4. Your idea of being organized is multiple colored
post-it notes. |
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5. You get all excited when it's Saturday and you
can wear sweats to work.
6. You know the people at the airports better than
you know your next door neighbors.
7. You think a "half-day" means leaving
at 5 o'clock.
So how can families reduce the
stress in their lives, and make sure that life at home is pleasant?
Here are some suggestions:
* Don't think that you are alone
in having to deal with family stress; millions of others are
in the same situation. It's the ability to handle stress rather
than suppress it that is important.
* Create a peaceful home environment.
One way to easily and economically achieve a calming effect in
a room is with wall murals. Minnesota-based Environmental Graphics
offers more than 20 full color wall murals that feature such
soothing subjects as "Oriental Garden," "Lake
in the Woods," "Daydreaming," and "Dolphins
Paradise."
* When problems begin to arise,
take the time to discuss them as a family. Avoiding something
usually serves to intensify it. Once an issue has been discussed
everyone can move on.
* Get the whole family involved
in doing work around the house. Even younger children can help
if they are given a task that is age appropriate. Mom and Dad
shouldn't have to do everything themselves.
* Leave work at work. Set aside
some time when your only focus is on family activities.
* Keep things in perspective.
Put your energy toward those tasks or activities that bring the
most benefits and eliminate the rest. |
