Stress is something mums know all too well. It is something they have to deal with when there is a lack of time to accomplish everything on her daily to do list, when there are concerns within the family such as a sick family member, or when they need to meet work deadlines or appointments.
The entire process of becoming a mum can be challenging. It is a major transformation in itself physiologically, emotionally, and mentally. And stress and stressful situations are unavoidable in family life. Whether mums like it or not, day in and day out they go through these situations when caring for their family. Life Coach Pia Nazareno-Acevedo points out that it is a normal part of motherhood and major life transitions; what’s important is that mums learn to cope with it and try to achieve some sort of balance in their days.
During the New Beginning Community’s Progressive Parenting talk, Coach Pia talked about the contributing factors to failing in life adjustments and how to tackle these challenges. There were two points that resonated throughout the discussion, the first of which was PROPER COMMUNICATION. A lot of the times, stress and the failure for a family to adjust to life changes can be caused by their inability to honestly and adequately express their feelings to each other. Troubles don’t disappear just by keeping quiet, they have to be talked through to find a solution. After all, that is what the family is there for.
The other point that stood out from Coach Pia’s discussion was mums’ Resilience Factor. How good could one be at bouncing back from adversity and challenges? She says that it is important to assess one’s natural ability to respond to family stress, and seek out role models for handling such problems. There are definitely short-term and long-term benefits to working through family problems, such as happiness, health and success.
As mums, we are definitely integral to this process of achieving a sense of balance and harmony within our family units. We need to be examples ourselves for the rest of the family, and the only way to do that is to ensure that we are able to cope with our own stresses as well. The New Beginning’s Community is a group of Progressive Mums who can help work through our own personal stressors and coping mechanisms for life’s challenges. Sometimes, it helps to take the problem outside of the family to a group of mums and friends that we can trust. Sharing it with other New Beginning’s Mums alleviates the burden and also provides a different perspective on things.
If there is anything that mums need to help them achieve a sense of balance for themselves and for their families, it is an understanding support group. More than the solutions and the advice, knowing that you have someone who understands the challenges you’re going through makes handling things easier.
Source: www.helpguide.org/mental/stress_signs.htm
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About the Blogger:
Jenny Reyes pens the blog, My Mommyology. She currently lives in Chapel Hill North Carolina, where she is a full-time student of the science of motherhoo, with her two little girls as her prime teachers. She also moonlights as one of the partners in the marketing consultancy firm called Your Brand Story. Among other things, Jenny enjoys reading, traveling, and scuba-diving.
