Being there for your kids - Stress? What stress!

Episode Date: January 7, 2019

Stress comes in two forms, the bad struff, distress, and the good stuff, eustress. Each form, however, can generate symptoms that take you off task. Who wants to work with sleeplessness, muscle tension, or gastrointestinal upset? While we can't avoid stress altogether, we can do something about both our mindset and our symptoms. Turn your what ifs into I wonders, and adding a positive outcome to your I wonder, changes your mindset from worrying to being curious. Eating right, making time for sleep and physical workout addresses some of the symptoms of stress. Don't let stress shut down your progress. These kinds of stress management strategies keep you on track for creating and using teachable moments.

This is Teachable Moments. I'm Dr. John Robinson. Ah, stress. You know, we've talked about eustress, the good kind of stress, and distressed the bad kind. But regardless of the kind of stress, what do we do with it? Even eustress can get your heart a thumping. Got a terrific grade? Got into the school you wanted? Won the game? All good stuff, but it can take its toll. Some people cry with good news. Others can't sleep for all the good possibilities at hand. On the other hand, distress, the bad thing. stuff takes a more exacting emotional toll. Got fired, victim of a crime, didn't get what you expected, going to the dentist, these and other distresses can leave you with a racing heart, jumbled nerves, sleeplessness, nausea, and other gastrointestinal difficulties. When stressed, stay in the moment. This is called mindfulness. Take longer and slower breaths. Notice the hum of the air conditioner. Smell what's cooking. Notice how your back is supported by the chair you're sitting in. At the least, being mindful distracts you from the stress symptoms you're feeling. Think about smiling inwardly and with your eyes. What? How does that work? Well, instead of

focusing out there where your stress is, turn your focus inward. Notice your lungs filling with that deeper breath. All stress and anxieties start in your brain with the thought, what if? What if my next grade is bad? What if my dental work is too painful? Are you worried or stressed? As you worry or your breathing shallows, your muscles tense, and your heart rate and blood pressure go up. While continuing deeper breathing, turn your what-ifs into I wonders. Add a positive outcome to your wonder. In doing so, your stress and anxiety turn into curiosity, a much better feeling that prepares you for what's next. What if my next grade is bad becomes, I wonder how well I'll prepare to get my next good grade. The message is, I know I'll get a good grade, and I will work to

make it so. Finally, as you are preparing to master your stress, enjoy a positive image, something that represents the best thing ever. Some people imagine soaking in a bubble bath. Others imagine a brisk walk in the woods or sitting on the beach watching the sunset over the ocean waves. Use your creativity to enrich your imagination with sights, sounds, smells, touch, and taste. You're breathing deeply, taking your stress and turning it into eye wonder, preparing for a positive outcome and rewarding yourself with a terrific. positive image. Ah, life is stressful. Turn it to your advantage. I'm Dr. John Robinson, licensed clinical psychologist and Christian parenting author, and this has been Teachable Moments.

Teachable Moments, Building Blocks of Christian Parenting, is available online at Amazonbooks.com and in local and national bookstores. More on Dr. Robinson at TMC-P-I-N-C.com.