It is important to recognize the symptoms of parent stress before it gets too severe. Everyone experiences a certain amount of stress in their lives, whether from family, work, finances or illness… the list is endless. Being a parent adds yet another dimension to the causes of stress. Lack of sleep, friction with children, extra worries, and more drain on finances, as well as the conflict between different areas of life, all contribute to higher parent stress levels.
What are the symptoms of stress that you should look out for? Stress symptoms can be physical or mental. Firstly, let’s look at the physical symptoms. If you feel more tired than usual but your sleep pattern hasn’t changed, this could be a clear indicator that your stress levels are increasing. Not sleeping is another sign that something could be wrong. If you are getting headaches, aches and pains, grinding your teeth, or having stomach problems these could also be signals being sent by your body to tell you something is wrong. If you suffer from Irritable Bowel Syndrome or other similar problems, these may worsen during stressful times. Stress can also cause low immunity, so if you seem to be catching colds and bugs more than usual then it could also be a sign of parent stress.
The mental symptoms are often harder for you to notice and they may be seen by other people before you realize they are there. If you are forgetful, or are losing concentration easily it could certainly be due to parent stress. Also, mood changes are another indicator. If you are frustrated, anxious, more angry than usual, or simply feel as though you have too much to do and don’t know how to cope, then it is very likely that your stress levels are too high.
Information on how to relieve stress is readily available, but what you need to remember most of all is that your stress levels are not your child’s fault. Children are not as sensitive to your needs as an adult might be, so they will not necessarily modify their behaviour to suit your mood or your tiredness levels. Whilst your partner may know to leave you alone when you are grumpy, your child probably won’t. Remember that you can always get help from outside your family to deal with your stress. Don’t let things go too far, as you could end up with serious mental health problems. Try and deal with parent stress as it occurs and you will cope much more easily.
For more tips on parenting refer to my free e-book “New Parenting Style” on http://www.newparentingstyle.com/index.html.
The author is a successful marketing executive in a large consumer good company and a mother of two boys. She has had a rough ride in the past two years and has successfully saved her family from the brink of disaster by working on her parenting style. She has recently built a website www.newparentingstyle.com, which touches upon some effective parenting tips that have helped her in her success.
