Your kids might be the reason you're holding it all together and they also might be the reason that you're losing it. How can you reduce your stress when it's coming at you from all sides?

Many parents are once again supporting their children's remote learning, while also juggling work and family demands. Here are a few tips that might help you get through these next few months.

1. Take A Minute to Breathe

On average, you take about 20,000 breaths each day. Breathing is essential for our survival but when was the last time you focused on your breath? According to author, James Nestor, “No matter what you eat, how much you exercise, how skinny or young or strong you are, none of it matters if you’re not breathing properly.”

Taking a few minutes each day to do focused breathing exercises can help to reduce stress, boost energy, improve your focus and reset your nervous system. Here are a few breathing exercises to try and see which technique could be right for you.

2. Have a Good Cry

Your kids might be the reason you’re holding it all together and they also might be the reason that you’re losing it. If you’re feeling like a pressure cooker about ready to explode, letting yourself have a good cry could be good for you. Research shows that crying can have a self-soothing effect. It activates the parasympathetic nervous system, which can help you to relax and reduce your stress. Crying emotional tears can also elicit support from others and draw you in closer.

Next time you’re feeling overwhelmed, try finding a quiet place to decompress or a supportive shoulder to cry on. It could be exactly what you need at that moment.

3. Soothe Your Soul

What does your soul need to feel whole? Whether it's listening to your favourite music, prayer, meditation, exercise or time spent in nature, schedule it into your daily routine. Research shows that when you take care of yourself, you are better able to react to the things that go on in your life.

4. Get Outside

If you’re working from home with kids at home, you likely know the importance of getting outdoors. In addition to giving yourself and your family a change of scenery from the walls inside your home, natural light is proven to boost people’s mood. Even if the weather is cold or overcast, spending time outdoors can lessen seasonal affective disorder and give you your daily dose of vitamin D.

5. Protect Your Sleep

Recent studies have shown that one in three Canadian adults are not getting enough sleep. The recommended hours of sleep for adults ages 18-64 is seven to nine a night. Chronic stress, more sedentary time and poor mental health are all related to insufficient sleep in adults. Protect your sleep with some easy to follow sleep hygiene:

• Avoid alcohol, caffeine, and nicotine before bed
• Follow a regular bedtime routine
• Exercise regularly (even a brisk walk each day can help)

Remember Your Superpowers

All parents are superheroes with super powers. You can soothe the tears and fears of your child and you are the hero to their story. Remember this. Even on the hardest days when you feel like you’re failing, you’re doing the best you can.

Reignite your own superpowers, while your kids gain new Computer Science superpowers on Hatch Studio. Hatch Coding can be your virtual learning tool that you don’t have to manage.