Letting Your Children Play Hooky From Their Life

I just got home from a very stressful time taking care of my mother in the hospital.  I have been so stressed out, that I have allowed myself to play hooky for the better part of the day.  Every once in a while it is a good idea to take a break from your hectic life and just take a day for yourself.  This can be a day without children or a day with them if you think they are feeling stressed out by their hectic life.  Maybe you need to take one of each kind.

Consider this as a sick day from work and school.  Mental health can require a sick day just as much as the flu .  There is much research to support that stress can make you physically sick, so as a counselor I am suggesting to you that you and your children may need to take a mental health day every once in a while.  I know that I will be much more productive tomorrow, having taken one today.

Changing Two Little Words in Your Vocabulary Can Eliminate Much of Your Family's Holiday Stress

During the holiday season stress can reach an all time high in the lives of many of of our families.  Changing two words in our vocabulary, and our children's  vocabulary may make all the difference.  Replacing the words "need-to" or "have-to" with "choose-to" in our vocabulary gives us a sense of power over what is going on in our lives and therefore reduces our stress.  Start yourself thinking that everything in life is a choice.  Even going to work is a choice.  You choose to go to work so that you get paid and you don't get fired.  Sounds to simple to be true, give it a try and see if it makes a difference in your family's stress level this holiday season.  What could it hurt to try,  I hope it makes as much of a difference in the your family's stress level as it does in mine.  The only problem with this technique is that I sometimes slip back into my "have-to" ways when I am really busy and must remind myself, or have my children remind, that everything is indeed a choice.