Parents of Young Children: Coping with the Stress of Fatigue
By award-winning author and stress-relief expert Susie Mantell
Your mother was right. Everything really does look a little brighter after a good night’s sleep. (Or as much as you can get!) When habitually sleep-deprived, the system is literally "stressed" beyond efficiency. Overtaxed and depleted, we become more vulnerable to illness, depression, forgetfulness, irritability and headaches. Food choices, self-esteem, pain tolerance and a positive outlook may be compromised. We need to release busy days and prepare for deep, restful sleep and find ways to compensate for the sleep deprivation that is so common in parents of young children.
Sleep Tips Parents of Young Children
• Power Naps: While a babysitter or neighbor takes the kids outdoors, pause your day and sneak off for a 20-minute meditation or nap. Set a timer so you can relax without worrying. Busy people often find that taking twenty minutes to a half-hour rest during a busy day will provide them with 3-4 more productive, focused hours to achieve their goals and objectives. You'll be amazed!
• Plan a "Snooze-Fest Weekend." Send the kids to Grandma's, curl up and watch old movies. Then sleep as late as you want to and feel really truly refreshed.
• Prepare for a good night’s sleep: Spend that last half-hour before bed doing something relaxing, non-work-related, and not on the computer. (At night, the bright monitor screen can stimulate wakeful brain activity and disturb circadian rhythm in the pineal gland.) Try a warm bath, meditation, journaling, a brain candy novel, a foot-rub, or gentle time talking with someone you love.
• When you climb into bed, longing only for the respite of a good night’s sleep, does the movie in your head begin? Do a quick internal scan. What worked well today? What would you like to try a little differently next time? Is there someone to whom you owe an apology? Make it. A clear conscience is worth its weight in -- well, now it doesn't weigh a thing, does it?
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Award-winning stress-relief expert Susie Mantell ...is the author of the deeply soothing relaxation CD, "Your Present: A Half-Hour of Peace,” clinically approved for symptoms associated with stress and sleeplessness, depression and grief, anxiety, P.T.S.D., Fibromyalgia, caregiver stress, cancer, pain, divorce and addiction recovery. Featured in The Los Angeles Times, NBC, ABC, CBS-TV, Town & Country, The American Pain Society, Hazelden and The Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, listeners include The Mayo Clinic, Memorial Sloan-Kettering, The Betty Ford Center, V.A. Hospitals,and Canyon Ranch (#1 Spa.) Customizing stress-reduction for Fortune 500 companies, distinguished hospitals and spas, Mantell has facilitated thousands in relieving health-related, work-related, chronic or traumatic stress. Her multi-sensory, mind-body techniques appear in national media, medical and corporate publications. Susie Mantell's Stress-Relief & Wellness Tips are intended as an adjunct to, not a substitute for, professional health care. Order “Your Present: A Half-Hour of Peace” and find more of Mantell’s stress-relief tips at www.relaxintuit.com