With four kids stress is not a new concept in our household. My wife and I just had our fourth child 5 months ago and luckily for us, she is about the most mild tempered baby possible. We now have a 8-year-old, a 6-year-old, a 3-year-old and a soon to be 6-month-old. Having only one sibling myself, I never imagined a house so full of little people. But I certainly wouldn’t trade it for anything. Stress is certainly a part of our lives, whether it be health, money, time, whatever, there is always issues that produce stress.

Stress is difficult for many of us to handle. It can overwhelm us at times and seem like there is no answer and no relief. So, I thought I would share a little story with you and tell you what I do to manage stress.

About 5 years ago my wife and I learned that our 6-year-old son Kaden has a mitochondrial disease. It was devastating! They told us that Kaden would be severely disabled and probably have a very short life expectancy. No parent should ever have to hear that. But we did and we knew we had to deal with it. Our choice was to stay positive. Now, believe me, it took a while to get past the diagnosis and find a positive attitude. Eventually Kaden beat the odds with certain aspects of his disease and it made it easier for us to be positive.

For one, he’s a behemoth. Probably gets that from his dad. Most kids with a similar disease are frail and underdeveloped physically. This was our first hint that Kaden was not the usual mitochondrial kid. Also, Kaden is tougher than nails. I played football in college and I like to think that I am somewhat tolerant of pain. Not even close when compared to my 6-year-old. He’s had muscle biopsies, surgeries, daily injections, etc. and complains less than I do. It bothers me much more than it does him. And last, Kaden is the happiest kid I know. Not a day goes by that I don’t hear him laugh and his smile will melt anyone.

While we keep a very positive attitude regarding Kaden’s health and his future, stress always seems to creep in. Doctor’s appointments, travel, school, these are all things that if we let them will bring about stress. Not to mention all the same stress that everyone feels regarding money, work, relationships, etc.

Now that you know a little about Kaden and our family, let me tell you what I do to help manage stress. My number one stress reliever is exercise. For almost three years after Kaden was diagnosed I had all but given up on my fitness. It just didn’t seem important anymore. The only thing that mattered was the next doctor’s appointment or therapy session. I couldn’t have been more wrong.

My realization was when I started having back pain while moving Kaden around. Kaden is wheelchair bound and has been since he was about two and half. Transitions are not easy as Kaden has very high tone in his muscles. I like to think he’s like wrestling an alligator. He’s damn strong and even though he tries to help, carrying him and moving him can be a workout in and of itself. What I realized is that I was not only carrying Kaden around but I had approximately his weight (55lbs) in extra poundage on my body. It was time to lose weight and get in shape. If not for me than for him. He’s not getting any smaller and pretty soon I’m going to need a forklift to move him.

When I started really working out again, I had forgotten how much I liked it. And now that I’m not exercising for sport but for my health, I enjoy it even more. Exercise can help decrease hormones that may amplify stress and increase endorphins that will boost your mood. It also offers me a time to clear my head and let go of the worries. The stress relief alone makes it worth while and feeling better physically has definitely helped me maintain a positive mental approach to life.

Another stress management tool for me is writing and blogging. I love to write about health and fitness. I spend a lot time researching and also paying close attention in my workouts as well as those who I train. If I don’t learn something every day I am disappointed in myself. No one knows it all! No matter how much experience you have or how well renowned you become, you can always be better, learn more, achieve more. He who becomes complacent sooner or later becomes irrelevant. I also enjoy blogging about my son and our family. For me it’s very therapeutic and it allows me to keep a record of how I felt at a certain point in time. I think we can all learn from our past, our failures and our successes.

Accepting the support of others has also been an invaluable stress reliever. We are blessed to have wonderful family and friends that truly care about us. Having someone you can share fears and concerns with as well as joys can lift a burden that becomes unbearable when kept to yourself. I am also very lucky to have a wife that I can talk to, and cry with, and laugh with. Not everyone has that and I feel fortunate every day we are together.

Don’t sweat the little things. If you let every little problem in life bring you down you will be overwhelmed. My 3-year-old pulled the towel rack out of the wall yesterday. I see the rack in his hands and two big holes in the wall. I could have freaked out but what good would that do me. He didn’t do it on purpose. He was actually trying to hang the towel back up. An improvement from leaving it crumpled on the floor. Now, that doesn’t mean we didn’t talk about not pulling the rack off the wall, but we talked not yelled. A wall can be fixed. In fact I finished that up this morning and it’s as good as new. We have to have perspective. If everything sets us off or stresses us out there won’t be enough stress relief to go around. Find perspective and remember what’s really important.

Stress will always be there. Everyone feels it. Some more than others, but everyone feels it. How you deal with that stress is what determines your happiness and success. Whether it’s exercise, writing, talking, whatever make sure you find your stress relievers and start feeling better mentally as well as physically.

Author Bio: Steve Stark Get Fit & Stay Fit! Steve is a NFPT Certified Personal Trainer with over 15 years of experience training athletes as well as private clients. Steve\’s website offers expert fitness advice, instructional exercise videos, printable workout routines and 4 or 8 week workout programs.

Category: Wellness, Fitness and Diet
Keywords: stress,stress relief,exercise,workout,stress management