Mommy Stress Relief

Stress comes in all different signs from constant fatigue to mood disorders to change in appetite, weight gain or weight loss, you name it!.  We all exhibit stress in a variety of ways and being a Mommy is no different.  I'm not saying that motherhood is all stress, but I am saying that at times it is not a piece of cake.  (although I have to say that as Park as gotten older I find it much much less stressful)  All you Mommies that told me time and time again that the first year is tough but that it gets much better after that were SO right!!!  And to all of you that are in your first year and are having a tough time coping with sleeplessness and stress from the demands of motherhood...it does get better!  And before you know it, you will be wanting to do it all over again!

Anyways, I came across some valuable information for dealing with stress.  Being the type of individual who likes to constantly be busy, I found that motherhood and all the other things I wanted to do at the same time really don't mix.  I can't tell you how many times a day I had to tell myself to relax, the gardening or the house cleaning or reading a book or work with my Dad can wait.  There is no better time than RIGHT NOW to envelope myself in my child's life and in order to be at my best for my child, I need to reduce my self induced stress.  So here is how you accomplish just that:

• take stress relief seriously!  Stress takes years off our lives.  Not enough rest can lead to a stressed out body which can induce heart problems as well as other ailments.  Day to day stress is bad for your heart; it causes the adrenal glands to pump out cortisol, a hormone that pushes up blood pressure and strains the heart and blood vessels.  I don't want to die of a stress heart attack in 20 years because I couldn't relax.
• self-care...you only have one body during this lifetime so why not take care of it?  Eat healthy, exercise regularly, rest, and laugh!
• exercise, yoga, tai-chi, and meditation are just a few ways to help reduce stress and can lower blood pressure significantly
• find a primary health care physician (versus getting all your check-ups from you OB/GYN) and get regular physicals and a full blood work up to help manage your heart health and other related issues

Remember:  Your stress health has a great impact on your child's well-being

Have a nice stress free day!

Mommy Bridget