Everyone experiences stress at times. Some stress helps people develop skills to cope with and adapt to new and potentially threatening situations. However, too much stress can be overwhelming. It may limit individuals’ ability to take care of themselves and their family.

When you are stressed you can be mad, be sad, have trouble sleeping, and get headaches. Stress also can affect your weight — it might make you eat too much or be less active. Using positive ways to cope with stress helps protect your health.

For lots of people, changing usual routines can be very stressful. They worry about how it will make them feel, how their family will react, or what friends might say. It can be hard to stay calm when kids cry, spouses complain, you are short on time, or something unexpected happens — like a flat tire. Here are some ideas for staying calm and cool and getting stress under control.

Chill Out! Making changes — even changes for the better — can be stressful. When you are feeling stressed out, take a mini break. Massage lotion into your legs. Lean back with a cool, damp cloth over your eyes. Listen to soft music.

Me Time! Being a parent is hard work! To stay strong and positive, take some ‘me’ time and pamper yourself. After the kids are in bed, read a book for 15 minutes. Or, take a bubble bath or file your nails.

Walk It Off! After a long day, get your family together to take a walk around the block. Take deep breathes and enjoy being outside. This can help you wind down and get some exercise!

Count to 10! Find something frustrating? Count to 10 very slowly and concentrate on your breathing. Gather your thoughts to avoid blurting out something you really didn’t want to say.

Music Therapy! Make a short playlist of 5 favorite songs that make you feel happy and calm. When stressed, pop on your headphones and take a 10-minute break.

Get Enough Sleep! Sleeping helps your body rest and repair for the next day. Not getting enough good quality sleep can make you even more stressed and grumpy. Aim for at least 7 hours of restful sleep per night.

Just Say No! If people in your life are trying to keep you from making healthy choices, find the strength in yourself to say no. Not everyone will support you, so it is important to say no when others try to keep you from making healthy changes.

Plan Ahead! Doing things at the last minute builds unnecessary stress. Try planning dinners a few days ahead — this will save frustration as well as time and money! Get the kids to help with menu planning — this teaches them valuable decision making skills.

Keep a List! Life is so busy, that it is easy to forget to do important things. Keep a list in your smartphone or in a small notebook that is always with you. List things you need to do today, later this week, and later this month. Keeping a list helps you see the progress you have made and you won’t worry about forgetting responsibilities.

Piggy Back! Too much to do? Think about how you can do more than 1 thing at a time — be a multi-tasker. Could you make your grocery list while
you cook? Help kids with homework while you clean up after dinner? Practice the alphabet with kids as you drive them to preschool?

Support Others! Supporting a friend or family member who is trying to make healthy choices will make you feel good. Helping others is an easy way to feel that you are making a difference to someone else.