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Use the information provided on this site as an educational resource for determining your options and making your
own informed choices. It is not intended as medical advice or to diagnose, prescribe, or treat any specific illness.
Sensorize
Toys, Products, and Ideas
for Sensory Education
Reduce Stress In Both Of You!
Raising children can be fun and fulfilling most of the time, but it’s no secret that parenting can be
stressful. In fact, parents may face an increased risk of depression because of the unique stresses of
parenting.  It’s important to have several stress relievers you can practice with your children so you can
relieve stress while occupying and enriching their experience at the same time.

Drawing: Kids generally love to draw, but expressing oneself artistically can be great for adults, too! The
next time you’re feeling stressed, get out some crisp new crayons (or even your ratty old ones) and create
beautiful pictures with your kids.  You can work through your feelings in an abstract way and create
something beautiful in the process, and your children can create their own beauty.

Walking: Enjoy the benefits of exercise and let your children enjoy the scenery (or exercise along with you)
by walking with them. You can put them in a stroller if they’re very small, or let them ride a bike or scooter
next to you if they’re bigger. Or, for a less brisk, more meandering walk, let them just walk with you. This is
a great one because it gets you both outside, enjoying nature (or the view of some nice buildings), and
away from most frustrations and responsibilities.

Blowing Bubbles: This one can keep your little ones happy, give you a break, and take your mind off of
what's stressing you. There’s something almost meditative about watching the bubbles drift up, and there’s
real joy in watching the wonder in the eyes of small children enjoying the sight of bubbles, or the
playfulness of slightly older children racing to pop them.

Enjoying Music: Music has some extremely useful stress relief properties, and can provide fun
opportunities to bond with your children as well. You can sing or dance together and blow off steam, or just
relax and enjoy listening. Keeping music on in the background throughout your day can keep you and
your children in a more peaceful mood, or get you into a more playful one, depending on what you play.

Social Support: Doing fun things with friends and including your children (and theirs) can supply you with
a supportive social outlet, and your children with play dates and opportunities to create friendships and
learn social skills.  Most moms are well aware of the importance of having other ‘mom’ friends, but
sometimes we get so busy and overscheduled that we forget to nurture these relationships and draw on this
stress reliever when we need it most.

Journaling: There are many wonderful benefits to journaling, and you can enjoy them while letting your
children explore their artistic side. If you have older children, they can journal along with you, writing in
their journals as you write in yours. If your kids are younger (and not yet writing), they can keep a picture
journal, either expressing their feelings and frustrations through art, drawing pictures of their favorite
things, or even practicing learning their letters.

Gardening: You can relieve a lot of stress through the act of gardening, and it can be a great activity for
your children as well.  Even small children can help you tend to a garden if they’re able to lift a small
watering can, and can also have a great time digging in the dirt. Watching seeds grow into plants can be
fun and educational for young kids, and older children can take pride in making their home more
beautiful by tending to the yard.

Yoga:  Increase flexibility, improve your health, and reduce stress with Yoga, and let your kids enjoy the
same benefits by joining you. With them around, you may not be able to get the same type of workout or
achieve a true meditative state, but it can still be a bonding experience that relieves stress and encourages
health for all of you.

Playing With Pets:  There are proven stress relief benefits of pets, and pets can also be great fun for kids.
Playing catch with a Frisbee-loving dog, gently stroking a cat, feeding hay to guinea pigs, or even watching
fish swim in an aquarium can help you relieve stress, and can also teach your children to care for others.

Lazing About: Laying in the grass or a hammock and finding shapes in the clouds or constellations in the
stars can also be a great way to relax, while nurturing your children’s creativity at the same time. Basking
in the sun or sitting before a cozy fire and just relaxing, or reading a good book, can be very relaxing for
you and your kids. And while you can’t always get kids, especially small children, to want to slow down
when you want them to, reading can help, and just slowing down can be good for you both.

If you find yourself getting overwhelmed and needing to relieve stress quickly, here are some excellent
ways to calm down quickly when stress sneaks up on you.

The Mom Defrazzler is a humorous, helpful website with great tips to help stressed out moms.  There are
sections on parenting, cooking, housekeeping, marriage, time, finances, and more.
Stress Relief