Washington, D.C. was recently rated the “#1 Most Stressed Out City in America” by a real estate blog, which based its ratings on criteria including commute time, high cost of living, hours worked, and population density. Research suggests that high levels of stress have a negative impact on health and well-being, including fighting illness, thinking clearly, and regulating emotion. High stress levels can negatively impact sleep, learning, and relationships. Given that we live in the ‘most stressed out metropolitan area in the country’, what can we do to promote the health of ourselves and our children?
1)We can increase our capacity to cope with life’s stressors:Stress is an inevitable part of life and sometimes it is difficult to alter our stressful environment. For example, if we have three children, all with different activities, and we are carpooling every afternoon, making dinner, and helping with homework, unless we make a major lifestyle change high levels of stress may be inevitable. Increasing our capacity to cope utilizing cognitive-behavioral strategies and mindfulness techniques may lower our felt levels of stress without altering our environmental stressors.
2)We can improve our sleep hygiene, diet and exercise habits:Taking the time to get 7-8 hours of sleep per night (more for our children), exercise 30 minutes a day, and eat a healthy diet will pay off in the long run. We may think we don’t have the time to do these things, but in reality, we can’t afford not to do them. The tricks to ensuring time for this healthy lifestyle can include creative scheduling such as taking a family walk after dinner or a family bike ride on the weekend, planning healthy meals on Sunday for the whole week and including the family in shopping and preparation, and prioritizing daily tasks while tolerating unfinished business so that we can unwind and prepare for a good night’s sleep.
3)We can introduce yoga and mindful meditation into our lives and enjoy these activities with our families:
This may involve a lifestyle change, but it is a worthwhile one which can take just minutes a day. Much recent research has supported the health benefits of yoga and meditation. These practices have been linked to better emotion regulation and balance, a greater capacity to fight disease, and improved symptoms of anxiety and depression.
4)We can take the time to nurture the important relationships in our lives:
We often feel too busy to connect with our loved ones. Supportive relationships enhance our health and quality of life. It is important for us all to take the time to enjoy our loved ones, laugh, and play.
5) We can practice tolerance and loving kindness for ourselves and others:
Don’t be too hard on ourselves or on others. We can notice our feelings of frustration and anger, then bring a kind heart to the situation and stretch our tolerance. It also feels good to notice what we are grateful for rather than focusing on what we wish we had.
There are many wonderful reasons to live in the DC metropolitan area, but stress is not one of them. Utilizing strategies to promote family wellness can help us reduce our felt levels of stress and help us live fuller, healthier lives. Taking the extra minutes a day to incorporate these strategies will be well worthwhile. If you would like help learning to incorporate these and other strategies into your family, please consider FamilyFirst’s new Family Wellness Program.
Marcia Kaufman, Ph.D.
Licensed Clinical Psychologist