Tension

Some simple ways to reduce stress…

Too much of stress can damage your health. Stress can be both mentally and emotionally challenging. Following a resilient approach to all the life’s problems and setbacks can make coping easier.

What is resilient approach?
Resilience involves the ability to face change and misfortune with realistic optimism, self confidence, and determination as you make an effort to adjust to and recover from challenges. Resilience helps people to maintain a good mood and protects them against negative thoughts.
Tips for increasing resilience in the face of challenges are:
- Credit should be given to self for the successes.
- Go easy on yourself if you make a mistake. Distract yourself in some other pleasurable activity.
- Try to view a mistake or setback as a learning opportunity.
- Find positive ways of looking to some situation and give away the negative thoughts.
- Be in touch with more positive people.
- Approach stressful situations with more flexibility and creativity.
- Learn the art of compromise in dealing with others.
- Face challenges.
- Embrace change.
- Use a step by step approach to problems.

One way to dissipate stress is by using your body, through the process of relaxing your muscles. When your muscles are tight or tense, the stress level of your body remains high. Shavaasana, also known as muscle relaxation, helps to reduce your stress levels. The way this works is, you focus on the major muscle groups one by one. What you need to do is, for each muscle group, tighten the muscle, keep tight for 20 seconds and slowly relax it. As you slowly relax your muscles, focus on the sensation of relaxation and feel your tension slowly getting released.

Is it possible to reduce problems like anxiety and depression through exercise?
Well yes, and there are some scientific reasons for the same. When stress levels are high, the body releases hormone such as adrenaline and cortisol. During exercise, the level of these hormones is reduced and exercise also leads to production of a chemical called endorphins. These are released by the brain and cause mood elevation and act as painkillers. When you exercise hard there can be a runner’s high, this is caused by endorphins.
The type of exercise is not that important as long as it leads to a workout for example: one of the easiest ways to do this is walking and jogging. This is another reason why elliptical trainers are getting more popular, because the vigorous workout not only help make you more fit but also reduce stress at the same time.

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Why are naps important for your child? What are small sleep problems encountered?

Naps are essential. The child needs energy which is what naps give. Growth spurts depends on an increase in total hours of sleep as well as an increase in the number of daily sleep bouts which are timed from the start of sleep until awakening. It occurs at around 3 weeks, 6 weeks, and 3 months when the baby needs to suckle more often to meet the growing appetite.

- Getting up too often
Sometimes you get up very often during night. The reason behind this can be multiple like hunger, over filled tummy, insects, stuffy nose, bed wetting, excessive activity, scary movies or a new baby.

- Bed wetting
Toddler or small children sleep too soundly and they do not feel the urge to go to toilet. It is not their fault instead limit the intake of liquids in evening and make sure that the kid goes to the bathroom before going to bed. Consult a pediatrician because sometimes frequent bed wetting can be a urinary tract infection.

- Sleep walking
It is more common in children of age group 3-7 years old. It occurs early in night. Room should be kept safe for sleep wanders. One needs to guide the child back to bed without waking because if you wake the child, it can give the child a shock. This problem runs into families but it can indicate the presence of problem such as sleep apnea.

- Nightmares
Frightening dreams can wake up your child very often. Reassure the child that it is just the dream and she should not worry until she goes back to sleep.

- Night terrors
It is the condition in which the child is not fully awake and not aware of your presence. She screams and she is covered with perspiration and heart beats are increased. The child settles down after 15-20 minutes and then goes back to sleep.

Lack of sleep can cause inattentiveness at school, poor memory skills, inconsistent academic performance, irritability, susceptibility to colds and flu, under eye circles, accidents, use of stimulants as sleep substitutes.