Family Stress And How To Manage It
What Is Family Stress
Spending so much time with one group of people is more than enough to cause certain degrees of stress. How each family member deals with that stress will differ from one person to the next. While mum might be able to cope with typical family stress that everyday life creates, kids or dad may not be able to cope so easily. This shouldn't be treated as a weakness; it is simply a fact that everyone deals with different situations differently.
The Family Unit
The first point to remember is that family situations affect the whole family somehow. A troublesome teen or an unemployed parent will have a knock on effect on every family member. Family stress should be combated as a unit with everyone attempting to help and all pulling in the same direction. Always ensure that some family time is set aside every day or every other day. Meal times are the perfect opportunity for this as long as they are done properly.
Sharing A Meal Time With Everyone Except The Television
Sitting around the table to eat your evening meal gives the whole family a chance to talk about their day. Family stress will often rear its head during these times when there is no television or Playstation to draw people's attention. Children aren't the only ones responsible for finding distractions. Reading the newspaper, finishing cooking tea or doing the crossword are all a distraction away from this important family time.
A Family Activity To beat Family Stress
Remember that the family is a single unit, but still composed of the separate parts. As well as the family stress, each individual will have his or her own problems to deal with. Again, the rest of the family can help to beat these problems at the same time. As well as sharing a mealtime, ensure that the whole family partake in fun activities. These don't have to take long but should be fun for everyone. Try something new and different. Conversations will flow and family stress will be all but forgotten.
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