Stress Management Techniques

Are the "post holiday" blues getting the best of you? Getting stressed in traffic? Worried about your finances or loved ones? Worried about paying the bills? You are not alone. Stress is a daily part of life and can cause both health and emotional problems. Experts suggest that we manage our stress in order to prevent having these negative results. Here are some tips for managing stress:

First, if you are under a lot of stress, take better care of yourself than usual because you are more at risk for getting sick. Try to eat healthier, get enough rest, and exercise regularly. Avoid caffeine and alcohol, as well as other drugs.

Second, you may want to work on relaxing your muscles. One way to do this is to use heat, such as a hot shower or bath, or even a heating pad. Exercise can both relax muscles and increase endorphins, which help improve mood. Another way to relax your muscles is to use a technique in which muscles are tensed and then relaxed. Yoga and meditation may also help with muscle relaxation, and may provide other benefits in dealing with stress.

Third, try to think about things in a different way. This might mean looking at the situation differently, distracting yourself, or even using humor. Recent research suggests that humor provides a helpful way to combat the negative effects of stress.

Finally, breathe deeply and slowly to help your body relax. This can have a calming effect and can be done anywhere, anytime, and without any tools but your own sound body and mind.

Source: Family Album Radio

New Year's Resolution: Manage Stress

If getting control of your stress is one of your New Year's Resolutions, check out our free on-line stress management workshop at

http://hillsboroughfcs.ifas.ufl.edu/Stress-Management.html

Managing the Stress of Tragedies: Guidelines for Families

Tragedies, such as school shootings are unsettling and stressful for children and their families. Stress makes it hard to concentrate and go about daily routines. Long-term stress can hurt a family's health. How can we recognize signs of stress overload in children, and how families can manage stress and become resilient?

Unfortunately, the world has tragic events. Children of all ages may overhear adult conversations or see acts of aggression, hostility, and death on the news. These events are unsettling and stressful for children and their parents. Stress makes it hard to concentrate and go about daily routines. Stress that lasts a long time can hurt an individual's and family's health. On the other hand, children and their families can learn to be resilient in times of stress.

Signs of Stress Overload for Adults

·         Tired all the time

·         Can't concentrate

·         Have trouble sleeping (too much or too little)

·         Use alcohol or drugs more

·         Trouble getting along with friends and family

·         Have tension headaches, stomach aches, or lower back pains

·         Feel depressed, anxious, or helpless

·         Recurrent thoughts

·         Mood changes (Irritability)

·         Decline in performance at work

Signs of Stress for Children and Teens

·         Express feeling afraid or scared

·         Very emotional

·         Grades drop suddenly; school problems

·         Extra clingy or needy

·         Go back to behaviors they've outgrown (bed wetting, thumb sucking)

·         Withdraw from others

·         Nightmares or difficulty sleeping

·         New behavior problems

·         Change in appetite

Signs of Stress in Families

·         More disagreements that aren't solved

·         Family members pull apart from each other

·         Family members become too close and clingy

·         Blaming one or two family members for problems

·         More problems with children, like unruly behavior or poor school performance

·         Strain between spouses/partners

What Families Can Do to Manage Stress and Become Resilient

·         Listen to children. Don't push aside their fears. Answer their questions and let them share their feelings. Tell them that you will do everything you can to help them stay safe.

·         Talk with others. Don't withdraw. Tell family members and friends about your feelings. Encourage your children to talk about their feelings.

·         Follow daily family routines and work together. Children thrive on predictable patterns of waking, eating, working, and sleeping. All children like to feel that they are important to their family. Work together to get things done.

·         Limit exposure to TV programs about tragedies. Adults may want to be glued to the television to get the latest updates, but this can be harmful for children. If you do watch, limit the amount of time and make sure to discuss with children what they saw.

·         Spend time together. Make your home a fun, welcoming and emotionally safe place. Do things together as a family, such as puzzles, games and outdoor activities.

·         Reassure children and help them feel safe.  

·         Take time to relax. Cut down on stressful activities. (It is especially important that children not be exposed to explicit news coverage.) Schedule times to do whatever you find relaxing.

·         Get physical. Regular exercise reduces stress. Walk, bike, garden, work out with your children.

·         Avoid alcohol and cigarettes. These cloud your judgment and lower your energy.

·         Think positively. Try to be optimistic about the future. Remember that your family and the country have survived hard times before. Seek spiritual support in whatever ways help you.

·         Feeling in control is helpful in a stressful situation. You may want to talk about establishing simple family emergency plans.

·         If you notice a change in your child’s behavior, take the time to talk and listen to your child. Some children will pay little or no attention to tragic events, while others will dwell on it. Remember, you are the expert on your child.  

Prevent Holiday Exhaustion, Disappointment and Burnout

To control your stress during the holidays, it’s important to have a balance of socializing with others and being by yourself. Give yourself time to reflect on the past year and time to think about what you want for the coming year. Set one or two goals for next year. This doesn’t mean a lengthy New Year’s Resolution list, but a few things you want to accomplish.

Keep a positive attitude. Find something you enjoy in each activity and event. Limit time with negative people as much as you can.

It’s important that you take care of yourself throughout the year and especially important during the holidays. This means watching what you eat and drink, getting enough rest and exercising. Take care of your own needs and pace yourself.

If you are getting together with relatives or returning to your parent’s home, anticipate what might happen and be prepared with a non-defensive response. Be realistic about your family and don’t use holiday celebrations to settle old conflicts. Plan on taking a quiet walk when people get to be too much.

Remember to engage in fun activities that aren’t costly so that you can focus on the true meaning and essence of the holidays. As a family, plan an event which involves helping the less fortunate.

Spend time individually with each child so they get the attention they need during the busy holiday season.

Practicing stress management exercises will help control your stress, too. For a free on-line stress management workshop ,go to: http://hillsboroughfcs.ifas.ufl.edu/Stress-Management.html

Managing Childhood Stress

As a parent, perhaps you've heard, "You don't know what it's like to be a kid these days!" Unfortunately, they're probably right. Many children today face stressors and experience traumas that are different from those endured by their parents' generation. Today's children are pushed to make above-average grades and excel in extracurricular activities and athletics. Additionally, they endure exposure to their parents' stresses in the home, as well as school violence and terrorism.

Most theorists agree that the responses children have to stressful situations are an innate reaction; however, the susceptibility to stress-related behaviors in children can be linked to several factors, such as environment, genetics, modeling stressful behavior after anxious parents, or through rewards or punishments for displaying anxious behaviors.

How do you know if your child or teen is experiencing stress? Dr. Suzanna Smith from the University of Florida explains that the signs of stress may include children expressing that they feel afraid or scared, or their grades may drop suddenly. Perhaps they are extra-clingy or needy; they may go back to behaviors they've outgrown, such as bed wetting or thumb sucking, and they may withdraw from others.

There are many actions parents can take to assist their children with managing stress. For example, spend time together. Follow daily family routines and work together. Children thrive on predictable patterns. You may find that helping children manage their stress can be good for the grown-ups too!

Source: Family Album Radio, University of Florida Extension

The End of the Day

Walking in the door with your children at the end of the day can be a stressful time. Think about all the jobs you and your children have to do before bed . . . fix dinner, eat dinner, clean up after dinner, open the mail, do homework, feed the dog, run a load of laundry, put the trash by the road, get lunches ready for the next day, fold the laundry, look over school papers, etc.

Two of the most stressful times with children are the end of the day when you get home and when you are getting ready in the morning. These are times when things can spin out of control.

Often parents turn to TV or a DVD to entertain their children just to buy them some peace and quiet. Although this is ok occasionally, when it is over-used, we find that by the time our children are school-age, they have become nearly addicted to electronic screens.

Here’s an idea: Invest 5 minutes to save 10 minutes. Try to spend at least 5 minutes with your children right after you get home. Your child has actually missed you and needs to reconnect.

Instead of hitting the ground running, build “together time” into your evening. Get down on the floor and play a game with them, relax with your feet up and practice deep breathing exercises together, sit at the table together and play of game of 3 questions each.

Once your child has reconnected with you, they can feel more self-assured and can be on their own while you change clothes or start dinner. Remember to include them in household tasks – because they are an important part of the family and have a valuable role to play in the way the household functions. Give them each a fun job in the kitchen every evening so they can stay close to you while chores get done. You will find that 5 minutes can lead to much more than 10 minutes saved!

When to get help for stress

Every day we go through stress that is just a part of life, and usually manage to deal with things ourselves and with the help of friends and family. However, major events and the losses that go with them can trigger feelings of helplessness and sadness that even the usual personal coping methods can't fix.


Many signs may indicate a need for outside help, such as physical or verbal abuse of your spouse or child. This may include yelling and calling names, criticizing, hitting, kicking, and other acts of violence. Other signs of stress are panic attacks that include a high pulse rate and breathing difficulty; feelings of depression that last more than a week, including changes in your eating or sleeping habits; inability to concentrate, numbness, or bouts of crying.

Other signs that outside help is needed include thoughts of suicide, thoughts or talk of divorce or separation and feelings of isolation.

Sometimes our families give us clues that the stress is too much. For example, children may act up at home and school. Parenting may become more difficult because you can't concentrate on your children and give them the attention and supervision they need.

Help is available from professionals who are trained to help with stress. They can provide the extra, needed support. To find professional help, talk to your family doctor, ask a trusted friend if they know a counselor, or call your local crisis center.

Childhood Stress

As a parent, perhaps you've heard, "You don't know what it's like to be a kid these days!" Unfortunately, they're probably right. Many children today face stressors and experience trauma that are different than those endured by their parents' generation. Today's children are pushed to make above-average grades and excel in extracurricular activities and athletics. Additionally, they endure exposure to their parents' stresses in the home, as well as school violence and terrorism.

Most theorists agree that the responses children have to stressful situations is an innate reaction; however, the susceptibility to stress-related behaviors in children can be linked to several factors, such as environment, genetics, modeling stressful behavior after anxious parents, or through rewards or punishments for displaying anxious behaviors.

How do you know if your child or teen is experiencing stress? Dr. Suzanna Smith from the University of Florida explains that the signs of stress may include children expressing that they feel afraid or scared, or their grades may drop suddenly. Perhaps they are extra-clingy or needy; they may go back to behaviors they've outgrown, such as bed-wetting or thumb sucking, and they may withdraw from others.

There are many actions parents can take to assist their children with managing stress. For example, spend time together. Follow daily family routines and work together. Children thrive on predictable patterns. You may find that helping children manage their stress can be good for the grown-ups too!