Whether you have one child or five children (hi Valorie!) you know that stress is an unavoidable part of your life. Whether you work out of the home, inside the home or focus on being a stay at home mom or dad who runs the household – or you are some combination of all of these (and isn’t that exactly what the working parent is?) – then you know that stress can become so burdensome that you feel like you are drowning in it.
We’ve talked about making to do lists and writing them down in a priority order and learning to excise those items that are not absolute necessary when it’s needed. But for those of you who are just getting started – who’ve just had a baby or their second baby, then it’s always good to remind yourself how to lighten the load on your minds.
Tips for Lightening the Load
- Take the pressure off yourself – Honestly, this is the flaw of every new parent out there, we think we should be able to handle everything. Moms think they should be able to take perfect care of the baby, the house and their work. Dads think they should be able to balance their workload and their obligations to home without a struggle – and the simple truth is whether you are at work or at home, a new baby puts a strain and stress on you and it takes time to adjust so take the pressure off yourself
- Skip Arguments and In Your Face Confrontations – It doesn’t matter whether it’s your family, your children, the people you work with and the mailman – when you’re under a lot of stress, your control over your temper can fray easily. You need to take a break or a breather, do it – this goes for the new baby too – if they are fed, comfortable, diaper clean and they are not comforted by holding rocking or other – it may be time to settle them safely into their crib and walk away for a few minutes to catch your breath – everyone in your family will appreciate your understanding
- Get Organized – We’ve talked about making to do lists, but getting organized also means getting your home in order and encouraging everyone to keep everything back in the place it goes – this can minimize the stress of looking for something that is missing – you should be able to lay your hands on what you need when you need it. Organizing it can take a little time, but it’s well worth it in the end
How do the two of you cope with stress?
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