Parenting is an everyday challenge, so when you’re throwing work and general life into the mix, that can add to the stress. A modern-day family life needs the support and as much support as they can get.
Unfortunately, not everyone has that village around them, so it’s important to do what you can to fit in those moments of self-care where you can.
If you’re juggling kids, work, and stress all at the same time, then this guide will explain how online therapy is helpful to fit into your family life.
The hidden toll of parenting stress
Parenting stress can certainly take its toll, both physically and mentally. It can put a strain on the family in different ways, so it’s good to identify what these are in order to recognize the telling signs within your own home environment.
Chronic physical symptoms
Stress can have more than just a mental strain on your mind, but a chronic effect on your body, too. Stress leads to full-body experiences in some people, causing headaches, digestive issues, and tightness in the shoulders that might not necessarily be linked to stress to begin with.
Hormonal changes
Hormonal changes are a big part of stress because prolonged feelings of stress can elevate your stress hormones, like cortisol, for example. This can have a long-term impact on the body’s functioning, too.
Sleep disturbances
Sleep disturbances can be common when it comes to parents struggling with kids and work life combined. As such, some struggle with insomnia or find it difficult to fall asleep or feel well rested when they wake up.
Burnouts and emotional rollercoasters
High stress levels often come with an escalation of anxiety and depression. That can feel like an emotional rollercoaster that you want to get off of. Burnouts can also come with stress, which again can lead to emotional irritability. You may find yourself losing patience more easily than before.
Loss of identity
A loss of identity is common when it comes to having such an intense focus on your children, as well as having to make sacrifices for the sake of having kids. This can lead to one’s feeling of losing oneself and any previous interests or friendships that made up part of their identification.
Strained relationships and isolation
Talking of relationships, stress can strain relationships, which ultimately leads to more arguments, emotional distance, and feelings of being misunderstood.
Isolation can also occur, especially during intense parenting periods where there’s not much time to focus on anything else.
Why flexible therapy matters for modern families
Flexible therapy matters incredibly nowadays, especially when it comes to modern families. There’s not a lot of time available for a lot of families for anything other than looking after the kids, going to work, and trying to get a bit of shut-eye in between.
Therefore, flexible therapy becomes a lot more accessible for parents to focus on their mental health. Here’s why flexible therapy is essential in today’s family dynamics.
It helps to fit busy lifestyles and schedules
Modern families will often have demanding schedules from work, school, and other commitments. That can make it extremely difficult to attend the more traditional, in-person therapy sessions.
Enhances comfort and engagement in sessions
With virtual therapy sessions, you’ve got a more relaxed session. Therapists could also come to you if you want an in-person session. It can be helpful for the therapist to understand the familiar household routine and environment, too.
Reduces barriers to access
With flexible options like online therapy, you’re able to reduce barriers of access that many people have had before online therapy became a thing.
Allowing families to access specialist therapists and support networks is helpful for those who don’t have it close by to them in-person.
Improves its cost-efficiency
The cost-effectiveness of therapy is important because not everyone can afford it. It’s not just the therapy itself, but having to get there, which involves travel time and costs related to that transport.
Having more online therapy that takes insurance is also handy to have because it’s flexible therapy that’s made to be more affordable and attainable.
Supports family well-being
Family well-being is definitely something you want to look after when it comes to empowering families and prioritizing their mental health. Committing to regular sessions, strong bonds, and effective conflict resolution is all beneficial for parents who do therapy.
Simple coping strategies parents can try today
There are useful and simple coping strategies that parents can try out today in order to improve their health and well-being. If you’re feeling overwhelmed and need to focus on your mental health, then here are some tips to try.
Deep breathing
Practice some deep breathing exercises. While you might think breathing doesn’t do much in the way of helping, it can subconsciously help your nervous system to relax. Inhale for a count of four, hold for seven, and then exhale for eight. Repeat this as necessary until you feel calmer.
Mindful listening
When your child is talking, it’s always advisable to put away your phone and any other distractions that might take you away from your little ones. For a few minutes, give them your full attention.
Be kind to yourself
It’s always good to try and be kind to yourself. Therefore, you should look at replacing those self-critical thoughts and words with something more compassionate and kinder.
Forgive yourself for any of the mistakes you’ve made because it’s often not your fault, or it’s not as big as it might have seemed in your mind.
Practice ‘good enough’ parenting
It’s good to let go of perfection. Practicing ‘good enough’ parenting means that your home doesn’t need to be spotless, or you don’t need to reflect too much on any days of parenting where you feel guilty for not doing enough.
Juggling work, kids, and stress is a mindfield, so it’s good to consider therapy and using the tips above to help balance it all without driving yourself into the ground both physically and mentally.
