Coping With Parental Stress

I had a great time once again attending to parent communication night for end of Term 1 tonight.


One of the topic shared was that of Parental Stress and ways of coping.

Really useful and informative which I shall take this blessing to recall & share:-

1) Not all stress is bad, there are healthy & unhealthy stress


2) Stress occurs when we have to adapt to change in our environment, in a life event or situation, whether the change is positive or negative


3) Stress is subjective which varies from every individual


4) The most common factors that can increase stress include lack of predictability, lack of control(or choice), or putting too much pressure on oneself over a prolong period

5) Increased stress and inability to cope often result in one of two broad response to fustration: fight(agression or anger) or flight(depression or withdrawal)


6) Continue stress can take its toll on us physically and actually wear down the immune system, resulting in deterioration in health and making us more vulnerable to illness


7) some TIPS to over come STRESS

T: Take stock to understand and recognize the symptoms of stress in yourself as parents and in your child
I: Innoculating against stress by focusing on helpful techniques of preparation, relaxation & rehearsal to alleviate stress symptoms for parents themselves and their child
P: Possess time, stress is inevitable but how you cope with it is more important:- attitude, expectation & beliefs
S: Strengthen relationship to understand and build trust to enhance co-operation and support.


We can take a significant step to reduce stress by increasing our knowledge about the special education process which in turn can help increase the feeling of empowerment. By knowing what to expect(predictability), parents can gain greater control over their child's educational possibilities by being a pro-active member of their child special education team. Understanding their child's disability and how to effectively manage behavior problems can also be instrumental in reducing potentially stress situation.

8) Some of the common resourceful ways of reducing stress include:- reading, sharing, positive self reflection, listen to music, connecting to positive people, religion, "me time" indulging in doing things you desire or feel happy about, doing volunteer or charity work etc...

9) There are inappropriate ways of coping with stress which involve withdrawal, avoidance, denial, acting out and blaming others.


10) Positive ways of coping with stressful experience results from looking at the stressful experience as a learning experiences. Knowing what to expect and preparing for the expected are healthy ways of using stressful experiences to motivate change in a positive way.


Winners Statement:-
Accept that some days you're the pigeon, And some days you're the statue.