As the UK nation continues to face high-levels of stress, families are susceptible to mounting pressures from finances and work. Raising a family can be rewarding, but stressful times can make things much more challenging.
Furthermore, the connection between high stress levels and health is alarming, with high (39%) percent of obese parents experiencing high levels of stress, compared to smaller (23%) percent of normal-weight parents. It is important to consider the way a parent’s stress and corresponding unhealthy behaviors affect the family, that is something that I am highlighting in Stres4Less course.
For example, surveys found that parents who are obese are more likely than those who are normal weight to have children who are obese. In addition, overweight children are more likely to report that their parents are often worried and stressed.
Children model their parents’ behaviors, including those related to managing stress. Parents who deal with stress in unhealthy ways risk passing those behaviors on to their children.
Parents know that changing a child’s behavior, let alone their own, can be challenging. By taking small, manageable steps to a healthier lifestyle, families can work toward meeting their goals to be psychologically and physically fit.
Here are few tips from Stress4Less to get you and your family started down a healthy path:
Evaluate your lifestyle. As a parent, it’s important to model healthy behaviors for your children. Children are more likely to lead a healthy lifestyle and less likely to associate stress with unhealthy behaviors if the whole family practices healthy living and good stress management techniques. So, ask yourself ― How do I respond to stress? In what ways could my stress coping skills be improve
Talk about it. If you notice that your children are looking worried or stressed, ask them what’s on their minds. Having regular conversations can help a family work together to better understand and address any stressors children are experiencing.
Create a healthy environment. Your home, work space and even social environment can influence your behaviors. Altering your environment can help alleviate stress. For example, cleaning up a cluttered environment can help. Look around your home and even your car and ask yourself, does this space feel clear and relaxing.
Focus on yourself. The correlation between health, obesity and unhealthy choices is strong. When you and your family are experiencing stress, make a conscious decision to take care of yourselves. Get adequate doses of nutrients, physical activity and sleep. When you feel overwhelmed it is easy sometimes to fall into cycles such as eating fast food, plugging into sedentary electronic activities like playing video games or watching TV, or not getting enough sleep. A healthy dinner followed by an activity with your family, such as walking, bike riding, playing catch or a board game, and topped off with a good night’s sleep can do a lot to manage or to lessen the negative effects of stress.
Change one habit at a time. You may aspire for your family to make multiple important changes at once such as eating healthier foods, being more physically active, getting a better night’s sleep or spending more time together. However, if you are already overextended from juggling many different responsibilities, doing all of this at once can feel overwhelming. Changing behaviors usually takes time. By starting with changing one behavior, you and your family are more likely to experience success, which can then encourage your family to tackle other challenges and to continue making additional healthy changes.
If you or a family member continues to struggle with changing unhealthy behaviors or feels overwhelmed by stress, consider seeking help. That is what Stress4Less is all about. We try to find out stressors, break them into manageable bits and face them, while on other hand boosting wellbeing and your overall health.
As they say on the plane, put your oxygen mask first and then help others.
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