Parental Stress and the Surgeon General's Report
3 Things to Do Right Now
The U.S. Surgeon General’s Advisory on the Stress of Parents
3 Things to do Right NOW
It is stressful and overwhelming to be a parent. Between balancing family demands, work demands, and all the other elements of our lives, we are collectively struggling.
This isn’t news to any of us in the role of parent or caregiver.
What is news is that the U.S. Surgeon General (Dr. Vivek Murthy) has issued an advisory on the mental health and well-being of parents, which publicly acknowledges the chronic stress that comes with this important role.
This stress is harmful to parents’ mental health and directly affects our children. In turn, this has wide-reaching impacts on our communities and society.
I know we didn’t need the Surgeon General to tell us parenting is stressful. But, the acknowledgment of this being a public health crisis is certainly validating and important. It is potentially the beginning of a more realistic view of the pressures parents face and the supports that are lacking. But you don’t have to wait for the tide to turn in big ways to shift things in your own life and family.
Parenting today is a very different job than it was in the past.
Our capacity to guide our children and support them fully in developing their own coping skills and the necessary tools to shape their mental health is challenged when we’re under chronic stress. We’re unable to access the level of groundedness and perspective that parenting requires so we revert to parenting by instinct as opposed to intention.
This may look like you having a short fuse, yelling, or acting in ways you wish you didn’t. This leads to feelings of guilt about how you spoke to your child, or when you yelled at them and they cried or made other choices you wish you hadn’t. This guilt contributes to the stress and fuels an endless cycle.
Parenting is the toughest (and most rewarding) job. This report “highlights the urgent need to better support parents, caregivers, and families...” so that we can put an end to the endless cycle. But the question left unanswered is…how?
Here are
3 things you can do right now to get the support you need (and deserve) to decrease your stress and learn simple effective tools for parenting with more peace and ease:
1. Recognize you’re not alone. There is nothing wrong with you AND you have the power to make changes no matter where things are now.
2. Head over to my website www.parentingvistas.com and sign up for my free offer that provides helpful parenting hacks (that will help you manage your stress).
3. Book a free call where we can talk about what’s going on in your life and strategize a plan to fit your family’s unique needs.
It takes new skills to meet this new era in parenting. None of us can do it alone. I’m here to provide you with a non-judgemental space and the knowledge, guidance, and tools you need to create the family life you desire.
Xo,
Andrea
