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Kinship Care
Stress Management
What Is Stress?
Raising your kin's child(ren) can be taxing. The emotional costs of caregiving can be high. Many caregivers experience a limited social life, infringement of privacy, and sleep deprivation as a result of providing care.
Caregivers typically experience chronic emotional and physical fatigue; family and marital conflicts; social isolation, including loss of friends, recreational opportunities, privacy, and hobbies; and feelings of anger, guilt, grief, resentment, hopelessness, and anxiety. Dwindling finances can lead to despair. Kinship caregivers are at high risk for work absenteeism and poor health because of the intense level of stress they endure.
Stress is an automatic physical reaction to a danger or demand. Muscles tighten, blood pressure rises, the heart speeds up, extra adrenaline rushes through your system. This reaction is an age-old survival response. Its purpose is to give the extra strength needed to fight off danger -- or to flee from it.
How Does Stress Affect You?
Unless you take steps to relax, tension builds up inside your body. Over a long period of time this built-up tension can affect your health, possibly contributing to:
- Allergies
- High blood pressure
- Heart attacks
- Stroke.
Some researchers also believe that cancer and the common cold are stress - related.
How to Manage Stress!
Plan a personal stress management program. No matter what method you select to help you reduce stress, be sure to keep in mind these general rules.
- Do Something You Enjoy
Whether you enjoy yourself indoors or out, alone or with others, do what's satisfying to you.
- Set Aside Time For Yourself
Your need for relaxation and recreation is vitally important -- make time for it each day.
- Do It With Commitment
Nearly every stress - reducing activity has immediate benefits. But you'll reap much greater benefits if you start an activity and stick with it.
Here Are Some Ways to Reduce Stress
- Exercise is a great way to relieve physical and mental tension! Exercise brings pleasurable relaxation - naturally. Exercise to consider are walking, swimming, jogging bicycling, tennis. Try to get 30 minutes or more of moderate physical activity on most -- preferably all -- days of the week. Choose an activity that appeals to you.
- Deep Breathing is one of most effective techniques for reducing stress. Two of the many breathing techniques used to reduce stress are awareness breathing and a quick method.
- Hobbies - Doing something you really enjoy and doing it regularly, at least a half- hour each day can help you reduce stress. You'll find that certain activities provide a creative outlet, lessen fatigue and refresh your mind, body and spirit.
- Talk Out Worries - Talking with a trusted friend can go a long way toward putting your problems in perspective. Joining a support group and talking with others who are experiencing similar issues can also ease some tension.
This information was gathered from "About Stress Management", Channing L. Bete Co., Inc. 1997
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