What's the best way of reducing stress when you're a working parent with demanding children?

make time for yourself. If your children are young sent them to a day care a few times a week. That will give you some time to yourself. If that's not possible, lock yourself in the bathroom and take a bubble bath.What's the best way of reducing stress when you're a working parent with demanding children?
For yourselves work for top rated companies whose management treat staff with respect and professionally. If possible arrange for working flexible hours or work one day a week at home. This ways you can be less stressful and have more time with you children. What's the best way of reducing stress when you're a working parent with demanding children?
Protected sex.
Surya Namaskar
Decide that you WANT to enjoy your children. I'm not saying that you don't, but it is easy to get wrapped up in the pressures of job, personal finances, etc., that we sometimes forget what is really important. It will take a conscious effort on your part. You will miss the chaos someday.





First of all, when you leave work.......leave work. Don't be worried about projects you have to do at work once you get home. Worrying about downsizing and layoffs won't prevent them from happening, but it will prevent you from enjoying your life. You were looking for a job when you found the one you have.





Try to plan out in advance what meals you'll be serving for dinner. If possible, cook a little extra on the weekends for the freezer so that you have just a little preparation for dinner on busy nights. There's also nothing wrong with having canned soup and crackers for dinner sometimes. There's also nothing wrong with having a bowl of cereal and some fruit for dinner, either. Leave the dishes until they've went to bed.





Talk to your kids about their day; help with their homework. Leave the housework. Have a relaxing evening with the kids and concentrate on them. Put them to bed around 8:30 or 9:00 (no exceptions). If you've spent most of the evening with them, they most likely won't be making excuses to stay up later (wanting to spend some time with you). After they go to bed, pick up for an hour--you will get more done in this hour than in 3 hours trying to split the time with the kids; take a shower; read or watch some tv until your bedtime.





In the mornings, get up a little before the kids and shower and get ready before waking them up. On the weekends, I make extra pancakes and store in the freezer between pieces of wax paper and microwave for a quick breakfast.....they taste just a good and it saves a lot of time.





If you are feeling particularly stressed, tell the kids that you aren't feeling well and go lay down on your bed in the silence of your room for an hour. You will feel refreshed when you emerge. The kids will be okay eating a snack and watching some tv.





Do your bill paying on your lunch break so that you don't have to do it at home.





Keep a calendar with the kids activities written on it so that you don't lose track. It's okay to make a plan with another parent that you trust to do some carpooling so that you aren't constantly picking up a child from practice.
Get a baby sitter, go out (for yourself) do what you want to do,for about an hour,or take a long bubble bath,(if there's a husband in the home) give the kids to him and leave,go for a long drive,to the store, window shop,walk around in the mall, get you something to eat, sit down relax,walk and see the all the Christmas lights,go to a park watch the boats go down the river,be somewhere by yourself(quiet time)pray to God to relieve your stress and be able to cope with your loving children that God saw fit to give you,just give yourself your deserved time alone, so you can enjoy your life the way God wants you to! Merry Christmas %26amp; aHappy New Year!But alcohol won't fix anything it usually messes it up!
Have them adopted.
time out for yourself can any one you know look after your kids while you have a couple of days to your self.%26lt;sounds good doesnt it %26gt;
try these very helpful tips about handling stress at work:





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I agree with the first answer - alcohol does it for me!
Having PROPER AFFORDABLE childcare. All childcare these days are so expensive. I've looked into it so many times and it's not worth me working AND paying for childcare. All my salary would just go onto the childcare.





Companies having creche facilities or being more parent-child friendly would be really beneficial. Being able to work around school hours. Work from home at other times.





Most of that would take a huge weight off my shoulders and I would be far less stressed
Time to yourself is the most important thing.. do something that yoy enjoy.
Take a ';mental health'; day off with kids in school and sleep in, go on a walk and just relax.





Trade babysitting with a friend. One night of peace is good even if you have to trade it in for another night of loud noise.





Create a sanctuary in your bedroom. Buy nice bedding, nice candles, curtains and keep it clean. That way you can always feel like you are walking into a hotel room.





Invest in some ear plugs and take a ';quiet bath'; with epsom salts. Play soothing music to drown out your family.





Have grandma watch the kids while you and your husband or partner have a night on the town. Get a hotel room and go see a movie in the city. Get some books are read during your down time.





Start a gratitude journal and make yourself sit down and write in in for 15 min each day. If you have nothing to write then sit in your chair in silence





Get audio books for the car. everyone has to be quiet while the story is playing.
when will people realise that children are demanding because they are meant to be so, they need the whys of the world and physical activity not tio mention the loving guidance of their parents, the one safe place children are *supposed* to have. Yet they are slammed from breakfast club to school to afterschool club and then when their over-worked under-paid parents are so mentally tired they think their kids should be nice and quiet and know they are loved..... BULL!!!!!


Children need to feel loved and no matter what parents working or not have to find the heart space to share the love they invoked when they brought them into being.


Surely this question should be re-titled into the non PC when parents who work can't cope with the children they CHOSE to bring into the world what should they do?





PRIORITISE!!!!!


children 1st, 2nd and last. Otherwise when they're messed up adults what on earth was the point to working for that money????






Balancing a career and children can be a definite ';high wire act';. You've got to understand that there simply must be ';me'; time involved in this mixture for your own mental health and stability. Without it, it will not be long before the pressures will become too much and things will start unravelling in a hurry.


There is, somewhere in your ';favorite things'; list, a special interest that gives you a genuine lift. It may be reading, it could be listening to music, or watching a play at the local theater. Whatever this thing is... THIS is what you need to make time for at least on an occasional basis. Make arrangements for the kids at some special thing for this time and ';pull away'; for YOUR TIME. This is certain to have a major effect on your ability to come back to center much stronger and, will give you a major something to look forward to as you go through your normal routines of... work, kids, work, kids... etc... It will be a great deal better, believe me !





Hope this gives you a spark with which to start your own flames !





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The best thing i found is always just take 45 minutes to an hour after they've gone to bed and just relax in the bath with a book.





Other things that help are having friend who dont mind you letting off a bit of steam when you need to whinge
adoption! run away to the circus!
You need to take a nice bath, go to a spa and just have time for yourself.
I was a working single-parent for 18 years - very little relieves stress - even child-minders can add to stress...





Only thing that worked was to scream and shout when I was on my own and no-one could hear me.





I could say everything I needed to get out of my system knowing it wouldn't hurt or upset anybody.





The relief is felt instantly!
sounds like time is not on your side - but here's a suggestion of what I do when I'm stressed and cranky:





When at work, on my lunchtime, I find a park or quiet place to sit, and just watch the clouds, and do some deep breathing. ( having a lunch break is the most important thing!)





Or when I get home, I take the long way around my small garden to the front door, I look at the new shoot on my plants, smell the newly budded flowers. Enjoy the space that is my home.





Another thing my parents did - was to put us kids on household duties as soon as we were responsible enough. We did dishes, mopped floors and scrubbed showers whilst mum would be sleeping in or reading a mag. (Although my dad did need to install some fear in us first - ';do the dishes or NO TV!!)





Or cranking a stereo with your favourite song and sing a the top of your lungs. This can be done whilst driving those demanding kids around. OR in the shower.





Good luck...



30 minutes to yourself





Take a bubble bath
Meditation works for me. Or just find some time for yourself doing something you like
Hi,





A cellar or a lockable cupboard is the answer, you then have three choices.





1. Put the kids in one or the other and lock the door for a couple of hours.





2. Get a bottle of Gin and lock yourself in either for a couple of hours.





3. Buy two bottles of Gin, forget the kids, just get drunk where you stand.





Skip





Added for the politically correct.





But, don't forget to leave a supervising, responsible adult with the kids wherever they are.





.
making sure you take time out for yourself... whether it be a bottle of whiskey (!) or maybe walking the dog..
schedule


-exercise every other day


-relaxation eg. yoga, meditation, soothing music, deep breathing, rel. tapes, baths,


-teach children to be independent


-me time


-find out your passions


-break from children


-time with friends



When you find out let me know... ha





No, really I have struggled like others with this same situation.





I have found the best thing to do is find time for ourselves...





I didn't think I liked to read but really I just never found the time to read.


A warm bubble bath with a candle glowing


A good brisk walk


And a glass of wine to unwind from time to time


You also need to be able to say ';no'; without feeling guilty





Good luck





I hope you find some peace and comfort this Holiday Season...



Only you know what helps YOU to relax most. Two things i would suggest is a set bed time for the kids .. that way you can have the kids in bed by, say, 8:30 no excuses (except for Charlie Brown Christmas TV special night lol) so that you KNOW you have a set time for YOU every day.


And what makes me feel fresh and stress free .. is a nice swim. Make arrangements for dad to stay w/ kids or to have a sitter so you can go out once a week .. head to the Y where they have evening family swim hours .. and just Dive into the water .. coming up again is just so refreshing. And a dive from top to bottom .. surfacing by doing somersaults back up to the surface (this is done most easily with a face mask!) is THE most relaxing thing in the world to me .. you feel invigorated .. weightless .. and in a world all your own. Float around letting your ears sink just beneath the surface so you cant make out anything at all except your own thoughts. Do a couple of laps.


Come home and have 2 glasses of wine .. you'll sleep like a BABY yourself ! lol


Give it a shot ! And good luck .. every busy mum deserves to find a way to just relax and let go .. at least once a week !! Take Care !
Take a Holiday.
There are lots of ways, and not every way would work for every person. I myself relax either through exercise, a long soak in the tub, a glass of wine or inner dialogue reminding myself that it's pointless to get stressed. Some people also use meditation, but I just don't get into that very well.
This works for me - ask yourself if you would be happier without the children in your life. If the answer is no then it usually puts all things in perspective and reduces the stress.





Some days cleaning urine off the floor everytime I walk into the bathroom makes me ask that question. Each time I decide that I would rather have my kids and happily clean the urine.