How to Deal with Stress when Watching Kids

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1Finding Peace in the Moment

2Relaxing for Busy Parents

3Chilling Out as a Caretaker

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Let’s face it. Watching kids can be a hair-pulling, anxiety-provoking experience—if you let it. Kids, especially smaller ones, are bursting with energy, asking a thousand questions and wanting to do everything at once. Whether you’re the parent, a relative, or a hired babysitter, it’s good to have some handy practices to refresh and restore your drained patience and mental energy. You can learn how to take a breather while watching kids by doing some quick stress-relieving activities on your own or by involving the kids in calming exercises.

Steps

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Finding Peace in the Moment

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   Practice deep breathing. Stress causes the “fight or flight” response in your body to kick in. Your heart beats faster, you may have trouble focusing, and your breath becomes shallow. Deep breathing is a great exercise to practice when you’re feeling stressed and overwhelmed. Controlling your breath sends the message to your body that it’s okay to relax. Plus, you can use this technique anywhere, at any time.

   • An easy way to remember how to do deep breathing is with the 4-7-8 approach. This involves taking a deep breath in through your nose for 4 counts. Hold the breath for 7 counts. Then, exhale the air through your mouth for 8 counts. Repeat until you start to feel more calm.
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   Turn on some soothing music. Music is one of the most beloved art forms as there are sounds that can match almost any mood you’re in. Use music to your advantage and turn on some tunes when watching the kids becomes stressful.

   • There’s no limit to the type of music that you can listen to. Choose some songs that help you feel relaxed and inspired and add them to a playlist.
   • You can even get the kids involved for some fun stress-relief by having a karaoke show. Compile a list of songs to which they may know the words and take turns performing. This will not only relieve tension, but it can also show you how talented they are.
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   Get some fresh air. Sometimes, looking after kids can result in anxiety because you’ve been cooped up inside far too long. Have everyone put on shoes and appropriate outerwear and go on a little field trip. Being in a natural environment can reduce stress and positively benefit both you and the kids’ well-being. The great outdoors lowers heart rate and blood pressure, eases muscle tension, and decreases stress hormones for an all-around better mood.

   • Make it fun by playing a game of pretend. Be a general leading their troops through enemy territory. Or, have a contest to see who can find the most interesting leaves or rocks.
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   Perform progressive relaxation together. Whether you are a parent or a caretaker you can achieve calm by doing relaxing exercises by yourself or with the children. Progressive muscle relaxation involves gradually tensing then releasing different muscle groups to help you identify tension and notice what relaxation feels like.

   • Have everyone sit on the couch or in chairs. Instruct them to take a couple deep breaths: “In through your nose and out through your mouth.” Then, starting with the feet, contract the muscles in your toes and ankles. Hold for a few seconds. Release. Notice what that feels like. Then, move to the next set of muscles: your calves. Continue until you have completed the entire body.
   • You can close off a session of progressive muscle relaxation with some stretching exercises. This can further help loosen tension and give the kids some time to wind down.
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Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Relaxing for Busy Parents

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   Ask for help from friends or family. If you’re feeling stressed out from watching your own kids, one solution is to see if a loved one is willing to give you a break. Oftentimes, parents suffer in silence, not knowing that friends or family members are more than happy to pitch in.

   • Reach out to your best pal or sibling for help. You can say, “Oh, Tori, I can’t tell you how beat I am. Since the kids have been out of school, it’s been nonstop. Do you mind taking them for a few hours on Saturday so I can catch my breath?”
   • If you don’t have loved ones who can help, see if you can hire professional help like a babysitter or get assistance from your children’s schools. Getting them involved in after-school programs or extracurricular activities can give you more “me-time.”
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   Engage in a hobby—with the kids. Getting your children involved in a meaningful activity can help them channel their excess energy into something positive. Do you love to paint, bake, play basketball, or garden? Relieve your stress by doing the things you love most, and have the children participate with you.

   • Make it exciting by visiting the store—if it’s in your budget—and getting supplies so that the children have kid-friendly tools to work with you. Then, spend an afternoon showing them how to do your passion.
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   Get some exercise. Physical activity is one of the most underused anti-anxiety treatments. Moving your body through rhythmic exercise produces chemicals in your body called endorphins that calm you down and improve your mood. Try swimming, running, hiking, dancing, or just walking your dog around the neighborhood.

   • Again, this is another practice that can be done solo or as a group. Try a family activity to help the kids tire themselves out and get the advantages of exercise, too. All it takes is about 30 minutes of activity to feel the positive benefits.
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   Cut back on some obligations. If you’re dealing with chronic stress and anxiety as a parent, it may be a good idea to examine your to-do list. Parents frequently fill their days doing for others, not realizing that they can’t pour out of an empty cup. Take a close look at your activities calendar and see what tasks can be automated, delegated, or crossed off completely.

   • For instance, if you spend a great deal of time in the grocery store, can you arrange to order online and pick them up curbside? Can you have your partner or another parent bring your kids home from practice some days of the week? Do you really need to head up all the parent-teacher meetings, or can you step down and spend that time doing something you love?
   • When you’re looking for things to cut out of your schedule, include regularly scheduled activities for your kids. Taking kids to too many lessons, play dates, or sports activities can be exhausting for kids and parents alike.
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Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Chilling Out as a Caretaker

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   Call or text a friend to vent. Having an empathetic, listening ear can make all the difference in helping you relieve tension from caring for a couple of rowdy kids. Just giving a friend a call for a quick chat and hearing a friendly voice may help cheer you up.

   • If you can’t make a phone call, try texting. A simple “I’m feeling overwhelmed” conveys your message and may open you up to receiving encouragement or helpful advice from your pal.
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   Ask for 5 minutes. If the kids are stressing you out, simply ask for 5 minutes of alone time to regroup. If they are older kids, this might include going outside or for a walk around the neighborhood to collect yourself. For younger kids, you might involve them in an activity and then take 5 to practice deep breathing or listen to some uplifting songs on your phone.

   • Don’t be afraid to say you need space to retreat. Taking a few intentional breaks while caring for kids can prevent you from exploding later.
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   Have a laugh. As the saying goes, “Laughter is the best medicine.” Take off your “serious” costume for a moment to release tension. Considering that you’re watching kids, finding humor shouldn’t be too hard. Kids are constantly doing and saying things that can make an adult crack a smile.

   • If the kids don’t provide any opportunity for laughter, search for funny memes on your phone or watch a silly YouTube video. Doing so will help you ease stress, reduce anger, and relax your whole body.
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   Schedule calming activities. If a third round of pillow fighting or Dungeons & Dragons just might make you scream, find a less noisy task for your charges. Take a break from the boisterous activities in favor of more quiet undertakings like drawing, coloring, playing with Play-Doh . Just a few moments of relative peace can be just what you need to kick stress to the curb.
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   Request time off. If you are being saddled with the kids too often, ask for a break. Whether you’re a paid sitter or a grandparent who’s always on babysitting speed-dial, be willing to speak up when you’re being overworked or taken for granted.

   • You might say, “I enjoy watching the kids, but I could use a weekend off. Do you think that can be arranged?” Or, you can suggest alternating sitters for parents who require lots of help. That way, no one person gets too stressed out from the job.
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   Decide whether caring for kids is right for you. If you find yourself consistently stressed while watching kids, take some time to think about whether you are the right person for the job. If you really don’t want to take care of someone’s kids, okay to say “no” the next time they ask you.

   • If you are okay with watching kids but feel like you could use a little help, ask if you can bring a friend along to provide moral support or help you out with some of the work.
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