Stress in the Family

This week I have been able to learn about different events and situations that can put stress on the family unit. I would love to explain a little bit of how families can positively deal with that!

What can cause stress?

I'm sure you already know what stress is or have experienced it in some way but here's a more in depth definition: a state of mental or emotional strain or tension resulting from adverse or very demanding circumstances. Stress comes naturally to everyone because we all go through crazy things in life that make things difficult! Today I want to talk a little bit about family stress. Some examples of circumstances that could result in this happening are loss of a job, death, divorce, health issues, or even winning the lottery. These examples can cause strain and pressure to arise within a family. The list really can go on forever.

The Move.

A big example that I can think of that happened in my family was about two years ago. My dad was really struggling with his job. He was getting blamed for things he didn't do and the overall atmosphere in his office was too negative for him. It was making him anxious, stressed and just tired. I remember him coming home and looking beat from the day. He would still try and put a smile on his face but I could tell he wasn't happy. This was also taking a toll on my mom because she was worried about my dad. Fast forward a few weeks later, he comes home one day and tells us all at dinner that he was applying for a new job four hours from where we lived. He said he didn't know if he'd for sure get the job but was hoping he would. A couple days later, he sits us down and tells us all we will be moving. All the kids were absolutely devastated. I was trying to hold back tears as I thought of leaving the town I grew up in. I was even getting ready to move to West Virginia and was already sad to leave my home behind. I had to pack up all of my belongings and just send it onto a truck to a far away distant land. The whole move really caused a lot of stress for my family and it even kind of divided the kids from the parents. My brother in particular was very upset that he had to leave all his friends his junior year of high school. He was not a happy camper. Luckily, with faith that everything would work out, my family made the move the same week I went to West Virginia. It took them a few years to settle in and like their new place but they got through the hard times.

How did we deal with the stress?

Sometimes we dealt with it much more poorly than other times. On our good days though, it wasn't too bad. Something that really helped us to deal with all the stress and anxiety was family prayer. Now I totally understand if you are not religious but just hear me out on this one. My mom felt inspired to call our family together each night to say a prayer. We would kneel by each other and would ask the Lord to help us know if this decision was the right one. We asked for peace, guidance and patience. This worked miracles! Every time we were having a stressful day with packing or adjusting to the new home, we would pray and feel the love that our Heavenly Father had for us. Prayer didn't take away our trials but it helped us to bear with them, and eventually be grateful for them.

Conclusion.

Now I understand that not everybody is going to deal with stress the same way my family did but I would recommend praying together. Even if you aren't religious, it can just bring your family closer together and you can realize that everything is going to be okay. I know family stress is hard and it's different for each family but if you just keep loving each other and try your best, things will work out for your good. Send me a message if you have any questions about family stress or even if you're not sure how to pray. I'd love to help!