Parenting can be overwhelming, and it's okay to take a break. Understanding stress and finding ways to cope helps us stay present and support our children’s growth.
"l Iove my babies enough to know that sometimes I need a break from them and that's okay." - Unknown
Key Concepts
- Parenting stress is when the demands of parenting feel like they are too high, and that you don’t have the resources to meet them.
- Not all stress is bad. Some “good” stress motivates us to face challenges, helps us to develop resilience, and can build character and coping skills. But stress where you feel unsupported or incapable can be different.
- Stress makes us less aware, less sensitive and less responsive to our children. This means that we miss cues, answer without thinking, or act without intention. We may appear distracted, inattentive, or unavailable.
- Stress can make us “act-out” by losing our temper, losing self-control, acting in ways that we regret.
What to Try
- Have a “parental growth mindset" by recognizing that you can grow and adapt as a parent, gain new abilities, and support your children as they grow.
- Recognize your stress and anxiety. Take some time to reflect on what triggers are, what solutions may be, and get help if you need it.
- Reduce the “noise” around you and go “back to baseline” with activities that support your wellness and calm.
- Think of quality time with your family, not quantity. Give yourself 10 more minutes at work if you need to, and then don’t check email at dinner.
- Show your child that you can tolerate their distress so that they can tolerate it too. It’s important for our young children to get comfortable feeling sad, disappointed, angry, or lonely.