Thinking habits that increase anxiety and depression for parents
There has never been a time that parents have been under as much pressure as they are under today. We are living in a society where there is an emphasis on "doing" rather than "being", most families need two incomes to stay afloat meaning that there is a lot of juggling with work and childcare demands, often families are living apart from their wider social supports, and of course there is a plethora of advice and guidance on how you "should" parent. In addition to these pressures, thinking habits modelled and learned also serve to increase pressure on parents and can lead to difficulties with anxiety and low mood.
Read more: Thinking habits that increase anxiety and depression for parents
Mindful Mothering
Sometimes being a parent can be tough! There are often a million things to do with so little time to do them in. Sometimes we can think that we have everything under control and will be out of the house FOR ONCE on time when all of a sudden there is a nappy explosion or a child can't find their precious toy that they must have with them at all times. We all know that we should act appropriately, model calm to our children, and show them how we manage our emotions in a healthy way in these circumstances, however our own fight and flight systems are in activation in response to these stressors.
Simple Steps to Reducing Stress
Being stressed does not feel good- it takes us away from the things and the people that are important to us and we know that the long term effects of stress negatively impact our immune system. For example long-term stress is linked to weight gain, it impacts on sleep and affects our hormones which can lead to difficulties with managing our emotions.
There are some small changes that can help us to reduce the impact of stress in our lives. Of course, the list of ways to reduce stress is endless so I have focused on techniques that are in keeping with a therapy known as Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT).
