Combining a work career and parenting at home can give a person a stressful life. There are so many things going on at once every day and too many things that do not get done properly. Do you often face this kind of situation?
I do and I like to blame this stressful environment as the root cause of my soaring cholesterol level. My spouse however, says that it is the fried food that I like to eat coupled with a sedentary lifestyle. I still say that it is due to stress and a person should know his own body better, right?
To “de-stress”, I have learned to do simple things that do not cost a lot of money. Money is a common worry, not that we do not make enough but because we want to preserve and make it work for us. Hence, keeping our financial situation in good proper condition needs work as well.
Below are some of my ways or methods to pick myself up when I am feeling down or despondent and beat stress at the same time:
• Call and talk to a friend. Sometimes going online and writing an email to a friend helps a lot. It is almost as good as talking to someone. It also means that I am keeping in touch with my friends as well.
• Eat something. You can call it comfort food but I do control the portion as well as the type of food that I eat. It does not have to be food as sometimes a good cup of hot aromatic coffee works for me as well.
• Read a good book. I am lucky as I live near a public library. I get to visit it at least once a week. There is nothing like losing myself in a good book for awhile and forget about my worries.
• Get some exercise. I have a stationary bicycle at home if I want to sweat it out for a few minutes. I also find it a good time to think as I cycle to nowhere. So I get to do two good things simultaneously, exercise and find a solution to a problem.
• Take a nap. This sometimes helps as a way of taking a short break. This is actually my spouse’s favorite way of de-stressing. Make your room as comfortable as possible and taking an hour of nap can do wonders for a tired mind and body.
photo credit: Flyinace2000
Of course you can only do some of the things above when your kids are occupied. My kids could be busy doing their homework or engrossed in a good two hour movie on TV. I also take turns with my spouse in taking care of the kids so that one person can have time off from the responsibility. What are your tips for beating stress at home?