Practical Tips for Relieving Family Life Stress

Family life comes with many pressures, and it can be easy to feel overwhelmed by the all the demands.

Taking the Pressure Off

Getting things done in a family is complicated.

While we’re stumbling in the dark, making it up as we go along, and trying to build our family and function effectively under pressures of all kinds, we’re pretty sure that everyone else has got it together. It feels to us that they are completely sure of themselves, moving confidently forward along a well-trod, well-lit path.

In fact, if you visit with almost any family and have a genuine, honest conversation, you’ll find that everyone is stumbling (hopefully forward) in the shadows, reaching for the light that feels unobtainable. And the pressures and stress of family life are real for all of us.

For a sense of progress and for reduced pressure:

Be realistic about your capabilities.

Resources (both time and money, specifically) are limited. If you try to cram too much in, you’ll get lousy results.

Create frameworks, structures, and systems.

When things ramp up, the system reduces the cognitive load. Autopilot—or at least a list or timetable that points you to where to go next—helps with overwhelm.

Slow down to speed up.

Overwhelm creates tunnel vision. Low emotion and a broad perspective encourage expansive thinking and a solutions-focused approach. Take a beat. Breathe. Prioritise. Focus. And remember: fast is slow, and slow is fast!

Ask for help.

A neighbour, friend, or nearby relative who can reduce your number of school runs by one per week will lighten your load. So will a playdate for the kids. Or a meal with mum (if she’s nearby) one night on the weekend. Small things create disproportionate relief.

Prioritise sleep.

Clearer thinking, more energy, a more cheerful way of being, and less overwhelm and stress come from getting enough sleep. Being well-rested is not a luxury item.

By implementing these simple, practical tips, you can relieve some of the pressures of family life. Try one or two today and experience how a few small changes can make a big difference in reducing stress and enhancing family well-being.