sangtarah Posted March 18, 2018 Share Posted March 18, 2018 How do you deal with general stress and anxiety? This has been a whirlwind year; lots of trips, lots of illness (one dd was hospitalized for a couple days), and soon a cross country road trip and in a couple months a move across country. My stress levels are high! I’m mostly fine, but this morning had a moment of panic attack. (I used to have them before kids.) I don’t know how I’m going to get everything done! I’ve always planned for the next school year around this time, and I’m trying to now, but I have no time. We were a part of CC, and I’ve decided to not join next year, and I’m stressing out over picking out all the things! K, 4th, 7th grades, I didn’t think it would be too hard. The baby takes all my time, though! Dh tries to help, but is really busy and doesn’t get how much time I need. Okay, I feel better just sharing with others! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted March 18, 2018 Share Posted March 18, 2018 exercise I hate hate hate exercise. More than the average person I'm sure. LOL But I have to say it helps my mental health tremendously. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kassia Posted March 18, 2018 Share Posted March 18, 2018 I also find that exercise helps a lot. I just read this, too - so knitting, gardening, etc. may help? https://www.cbsnews.com/news/handiwork-how-busy-hands-can-alter-our-brain-chemistry/?ftag=CNM-00-10aac3a 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OneStepAtATime Posted March 18, 2018 Share Posted March 18, 2018 :grouphug: 1. Keep things simple, as much as possible. For lesson plans, do a very basic outline of core skills that you want to hit on and keep materials to use VERY SIMPLE. Audio books, read alouds, some math. Add to that once you are in a better place. Your kids are not in High School yet. Take this time to breath and keep it all very simple. Do your heavier planning further down the road. There is time. 2. As Sparkly Unicorn stated, exercise. As soon as you feel stressed, walk around. Like seriously walk all over the house or walk around the neighborhood or whatever, but just get moving. If you have some laundry to fold, do that. If you have dishes to wash, do that. Whatever you do, don't sit and let inertia and stress immobilize you. 3. Find something to do with your kids each day that brings you joy, if you possibly can. Focus on the fact that you are together in that moment. Sing some songs. Read a book. Do some Madlibs. Play at the park. 4. Deep breaths. This is a season, not eternity. Breath through this season. :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freesia Posted March 18, 2018 Share Posted March 18, 2018 Mindfulness with breathing (see smiling minds app) Exercise Not ruminating on what's stressing me out. Connected with that is writing it down and prayer. Candlelight yoga. (DVD) Sleep Sharing with others. Planning fun things (seriously I was stressed the other day and dh said--let's thumb wrestle--it really helped!). Reading and watching funny movies. Keeping perspective and focusing on what is going well. Not catastrophizing-- you will figure out a plan for next year. Lots of people do and if you don't like your plan you can change it. L-theanine. It's non-addictive and takes the edge off. I always think of thee Working Girl quote--it chills you ever so slightly. ( can you tell this is something I deal with a lot?) 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardenmom5 Posted March 18, 2018 Share Posted March 18, 2018 yoga - preferably, minimum, 3 approx. one hour practices per week. epsom salt baths (4CUPS of epsom salt - buy it at costco, and 1 cup of baking soda to keep your skin happy. soak for an hour. add whatever smelly bath product or oil you like.) there are also sups that help GABA l-theanine dudling is on an 'anxiety' cocktail of 600mg (7%withaniloids - jarrow or douglas laboratories. most other brands are much lower concentration.) ashwagandha and (pure encapsulations) bacopa monerii. (one bottle lasts three months.) - -- taken 2 X per day. I once obtained a quantity of used brick. cleaning them was quite cathartic. I got to really hit something. I could clean about 10 before my arm gave out and I'd have to stop. then I had brick for my garden. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardenmom5 Posted March 18, 2018 Share Posted March 18, 2018 one other thing about anxiety/stress - it sucks up b-vitamins. you needs more than someone who is not anxious/stressed. a good b-complex. I like (and noticed an improvement within a week - despite the years I had taken a mid-level drug store brand.) emerald laboratories b-healthy. they use only bioavailable forms, so your body is using what your taking and your liver doens't have to convert it first. (meaning your getting less than the label says.) 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bettyandbob Posted March 18, 2018 Share Posted March 18, 2018 Exercise. It's hard because you are stressed so you think you don't have time to exercise. The reality is you able to tackle what has to get done after exercise because you are less stressed and more focused. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hornblower Posted March 18, 2018 Share Posted March 18, 2018 My dear, you have a very young baby. Put your feet up, gather a box of books for read aloud, book a few park/outdoor playdates this months, turn on the tv and let the kids have an afternoon off. Get your dh to make dinner at least 50% of the time. Make lunches the night before - you can have sandwiches and juice on your couch fort or take them to the park. Simplify your curriculum. Let go of picking the best thing. Whatever worked last year, if there's a 'next level', get that. If there isn't, look up the WTM or ask here for the best choices that don't require prep and are open&go, and just randomly pick one you can afford. Done.You do not need to get everything done. What you're doing is more than enough. 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ausmumof3 Posted March 18, 2018 Share Posted March 18, 2018 Go out for a walk outdoors if the weather is good. Do a brain dump. Getting it all out your head is good. Don't be afraid to make this the year you used school in a box if you can afford it. Yoga helps me sometimes. It might help you. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 18, 2018 Share Posted March 18, 2018 My dear, you have a very young baby. Put your feet up, gather a box of books for read aloud, book a few park/outdoor playdates this months, turn on the tv and let the kids have an afternoon off. Get your dh to make dinner at least 50% of the time. Make lunches the night before - you can have sandwiches and juice on your couch fort or take them to the park. Simplify your curriculum. Let go of picking the best thing. Whatever worked last year, if there's a 'next level', get that. If there isn't, look up the WTM or ask here for the best choices that don't require prep and are open&go, and just randomly pick one you can afford. Done. You do not need to get everything done. What you're doing is more than enough. I’m crying, hornblower. Thank you. Words of gentle encouragement are what I didn’t know I needed. As to exercise, yes, I’ll try to work that in! Intellectually I know it’s important, and dh always offers it as a “helpful†answer to everything, but it slips behind other priorities. So I’ll post my plans for school next year on the general chat - feedback on that may be helpful, too. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
6wildhorses Posted March 18, 2018 Share Posted March 18, 2018 Yoga with Adrienne on YouTube. She's my new best friend. LOL She encourages me to be kinder to myself and is helping me calm my overactive, stressed-out brain. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardenmom5 Posted March 19, 2018 Share Posted March 19, 2018 (edited) My dear, you have a very young baby. Put your feet up, gather a box of books for read aloud, book a few park/outdoor playdates this months, turn on the tv and let the kids have an afternoon off. Get your dh to make dinner at least 50% of the time. Make lunches the night before - you can have sandwiches and juice on your couch fort or take them to the park. Simplify your curriculum. Let go of picking the best thing. Whatever worked last year, if there's a 'next level', get that. If there isn't, look up the WTM or ask here for the best choices that don't require prep and are open&go, and just randomly pick one you can afford. Done. You do not need to get everything done. What you're doing is more than enough. I didn't realize you have a new baby. I saw this needlework in the hospital with my first baby. I made it, and still have it hanging up. read it, and remember it. I didn't know this. I have horrible anxiety and have been doing everything possible to get it under control (and it is under much better control these days, thank heavens). I would love more info on this if you have it at your fingertips. I don't understand your question. stress uses more folates/etc. as you get deficient in b-vits, you can develop anxiety, and be more easily stressed, etc. stress vitamin formulas, all are heavy with b-vitamins. I have learned from experience, bioavailable is crucial. Edited March 19, 2018 by gardenmom5 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happypamama Posted March 19, 2018 Share Posted March 19, 2018 Sleep. Not just rest, although that's good too, but actual sleep. Whether that means having big kids watch the baby while you nap, or cutting something out so you can sleep more, or having your DH take over (I've always done the nighttime parenting, but 90% of the time, he's done the weekend breakfasts so I can sleep in) -- sleep really makes a huge difference in your ability to cope. Is there any one problem you can solve relatively quickly if you put aside everything but the minimum for a bit? Sometimes just having too many things on my mind at once is overwhelming, and I can't handle any of them. For instance, I've been fretting about DD's English for next year, in addition to having a lot of other things on my mind. So I set everything else aside for an evening this week and spent it reading reviews and looking at options. Now I have a plan for that. It reduces the noise in my brain. One subject at a time, one student at a time. It'll all come. Can you put the baby in a sling and get out for a walk most days? 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kate in Arabia Posted March 19, 2018 Share Posted March 19, 2018 I don't know how feasible this would be for you, but after I had my youngest and she was close to the age of yours... maybe 7 mos, so the other two were maybe 3 yrs and 7 yrs, when dh came home at night I would leave the kids with him and go swimming for 45 min or so... It was.. magical, lol.. we got a discount rate for me at a local club, so swimming outside at night, not many people in the pool, the radio playing softly.. it was very therapeutic. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawnM Posted March 19, 2018 Share Posted March 19, 2018 Honestly, when I got to this point (like right after our adoption), I paid for Time4Learning for a few months and called it good enough. One son loved it, one hated it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.