STRESSING OUT?

by Steve Newton

I can remember my grandmother saying the families cause stress! In our case it certainly was true. The only time the whole family was ever together at one time was Christmas.

Christmas at grandma's was always the same. A few days of happiness as one by one the families arrived, filling the house with movement and noise. Followed by a few days of more noise as the arguments began. Followed by a brief respite to open presents and attend mass followed quickly by even more arguments and packing up and departing. Very stressful!

I guess that stress is part and parcel of family life, in some form or another. There is the stress felt when a family member falls ill, stress when bills are due, and stress caused from a child crying from dusk to dawn. There are in fact many different types of stress. And according to the good doctor, stress is actually good for you. It is a response to danger or a problem that could harm us. When a harmful situation arises, certain chemical changes take place in our bodies. Our hearts speed up, our pupils dilate, we become more alert and focussed so that we can effectively face and overcome the danger. Completely normal. It is only when we experience stress day after day, week after week, that it can begin to effect us in a bad way. The scary thing is that we can be stressed without even know it!

Now if you were behind in house payments and the bank was knocking on your door, I am sure you would know you are stressed. And if your child was dangerously ill, you would know you are stressed. But do you know that lack of sleep, being ill, driving in traffic, loud noise, can all lead to stress? And that's the type of stress that can creep up silently and do some real damage to your heart, and your family relationships too.

Now I don't know about you but as a father and husband I do all of those things constantly. There are the late nights due to study and work commitments. There is the waking up in the middle of the night due to wet beds and nightmares (the kids, not mine!) There is the constant battling of traffic ferrying kids to sport, school, friends houses etc etc. Loud noise? I have 3 boys, enough said about that one eh? And one of the perks of being a parent is that whatever illnesses your kids get, you get too!

So how do we beat stress? According to the doctor it is as easy as reading a book. In fact reading for pleasure is one strategy to keep stressfree. Also exercise, eating right, getting a massage, and the one my grandmother loved most, talking to friends and family. My gran did alot of that. She loved to spin a yarn. And just quietly, I think she loved a good argument too! Why else would she invite the whole family back year after year for Christmas.

It's true that my Grandma used to say that families cause stress, but she also used to finish with, it's the best stress you can get!

About the Author

Steve Newton has 3 sons and still most of his hair! He is a teacher and his kids are 9, 4 and 2. He enjoys sports, computers, reading and movies. He is 28, married to another teacher and lives in Queensland, Australia.
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