Journaling:
There are many wonderful benefits to journaling, and you can enjoy them while letting your children explore their artistic side. If you have older children, they can journal along with you, writing in their journals as you write in yours. If your kids are younger (and not yet writing), they can keep a picture journal, either expressing their feelings and frustrations through art, drawing pictures of their favorite things, or even practicing learning their letters.
Gardening:
You can relieve a lot of stress through the act of gardening, and it can be a great activity for your children as well. Even small children can help you tend to a garden if they’re able to lift a small watering can, and can also have a great time digging in the dirt. Watching seeds grow into plants can be fun and educational for young kids, and older children can take pride in making their home more beautiful by tending to the yard.
Yoga:
Increase flexibility, improve your health, and reduce stress with Yoga, and let your kids enjoy the same benefits by joining you. With them around, you may not be able to get the same type of workout or achieve a true meditative state, but it can still be a bonding experience that relieves stress and encourages health for all of you.
Playing With Pets:
There are proven stress relief benefits of pets, and pets can also be great fun for kids. Playing catch with a Frisbee-loving dog, gently stroking a cat, feeding hay to guinea pigs, or even watching fish swim in an aquarium can help you relieve stress, and can also teach your children to care for others.
Lazing About:
Laying in the grass or a hammock and finding shapes in the clouds or constellations in the stars can also be a great way to relax, while nurturing your children’s creativity at the same time. Basking in the sun (during warm seasons) or sitting before a cozy fire (during cold seasons) and just relaxing, or reading a good book, can be very relaxing for you and your kids. And while you can’t always get kids, especially small children, to want to slow down when you want them to, reading can help, and just slowing down can be good for you both.If you find yourself getting overwhelmed and needing to relieve stress quickly, here are some excellent ways to calm down quickly when stress sneaks up on you.
Source:
Evenson RJ, Simon RW. Clarifying the Relationship Between Parenthood and Depression. Journal of Health and Social Behavior. December 2005.
