As the country continues to face high levels of stress, families are exposed to increasing financial and work pressures. Raising a family can be rewarding and demanding, even in a healthy social and economic climate. Periods of stress can therefore make things much more difficult.
Most U.S. adults (83%) cite inflation as a major source of stress, according to APA Stress in America Survey October 2022. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, households with children have consistently fared worse than households without children. Adults living with children have reported They have more difficulty paying daily household expenses, providing adequate food for their families and have been less secure in their housing payments compared to other households, according to a 2022 Kaiser Family Foundation analysis of federal data .
While children are resilient, financial worries can have a devastating long-term impact on the youngest members of a household. When times are tough financially, Studies show, families can enter a downward spiral. Economic difficulties, such as the inability to pay bills or having to move in with relatives, increase parents’ stress. Parents may then take out their frustration on their children or withdraw altogether. Without parental support, children misbehave or perform poorly in school, putting them at risk of economic hardship as adults.
Children model their parents’ behaviors, including those related to stress management. Parents who manage stress in unhealthy ways risk passing these behaviors on to their children. Alternatively, parents who manage stress in healthy ways may not only foster better coping and happiness for themselves, but also foster the formation of critically important habits and skills in their children.
Parents know that changing a child’s behavior, let alone their own, can be a challenge. By taking small, manageable steps toward a healthier lifestyle, families can work toward their goals of being mentally and physically fit.
The APA offers these tips to get you and your family started on a healthy path:
Evaluate your lifestyle. As a parent, it is important to model healthy behaviors for your children. Children are more likely to lead healthy lives and less likely to associate stress with unhealthy behaviors if the entire family practices a healthy lifestyle and good stress management techniques. So, ask yourself: How can I respond to stress? Do I tend to overeat or engage in other unhealthy behaviors, such as smoking and drinking alcohol, when I feel stressed? In what ways could my abilities to cope with stress be improved?
Talk about that. If you notice your children seem worried or stressed, ask them what they are thinking. Having regular conversations can help a family work together to better understand and manage the stressors children face. Low levels of parental communication have been associated with poor decision making in children and adolescents. Talking to your children and promoting open communication and problem solving is just as important as eating well and getting enough exercise and sleep.
Create a healthy environment. Your home, your workspace and even your social environment can influence your behaviors. Changing your environment can help reduce stress. A study by researchers at the University of Connecticut, for example, found that in times of extreme stress, people relied on cleaning because it gave them a sense of control. Look around you and even your car and ask yourself, does this space seem bright and relaxing? Freeing up space in your home for family is something you and your children can control, and it teaches children to focus on the things they can control when they feel stressed.
Focus on yourself. The correlation between health, obesity and unhealthy choices is strong. When you and your family are facing stress, make a conscious decision to take care of yourself. Get adequate doses of nutrients, exercise, and sleep. When you’re feeling overwhelmed, it’s sometimes easy to fall into cycles like eating fast food, engaging in sedentary electronic activities like playing video games or watching TV, or not getting enough sleep. Research shows that children who lack sleep are more likely to have behavior problems. P.Annuities have an extraordinary amount of influence on their children’s food choices. A healthy dinner followed by a family activity, such as walking, cycling, wrestling or a board game, and complemented by a good night’s sleep, can go a long way in managing or mitigating the negative effects of stress.
Change one habit at a time. You may want your family to make several important changes at once, such as eating healthier foods, being more physically active, sleeping better, or spending more time together. However, if you’re already overloaded with juggling many different responsibilities, doing it all at once can seem overwhelming. Changing behaviors usually takes time. By starting to change one behavior, you and your family are more likely to experience success, which can then encourage your family to take on other challenges and continue to make additional healthy changes.
If you or a family member continue to struggle to change unhealthy behaviors or feel overwhelmed by stress, consider seeking help from a healthcare professional, such as a psychologist. Psychologists are licensed and trained to help you develop strategies to effectively manage stress and make behavioral changes to help improve your overall health.
