Three ways to relieve parenting stress

If it is your first child, you are likely to feel stress and worries about child-rearing, and it is not uncommon for the worries and stress of child-rearing to pile up, leading to a child-rearing neurosis.

If you feel tired from raising children, your first priority should be to try ways to help you relax.

So how can you relax and relieve the stress of parenting?

In this article, we will introduce symptoms to look out for when you feel like you might be suffering from childcare neurosis, as well as three ways to relieve childcare stress.

If you think you may be suffering from childcare neurosis

According to a survey on childcare neurosis conducted by the MMD Research Institute, in response to the question "Have you ever felt like you had childcare neurosis?", approximately half of the 636 respondents (49.1%) answered "Yes, I have felt like I had childcare neurosis."

As this survey shows, stress and worries related to child-rearing, such as child-rearing neurosis, are not something that only affect other people, and there are many mothers who feel "tired of child-rearing."

Why does childcare neurosis occur?

It is said that one of the causes of childcare neurosis is the sudden change in hormone balance from that during pregnancy to normal hormone balance after giving birth, but other causes include single-parent parenting and excessive interference with other family members' childcare.

When a parent develops childcare neurosis, symptoms such as extreme emotional fluctuations, constant depression and crying, constant irritability, and no longer feeling that their child is cute appear, and it is feared that this may be one of the causes of child abuse.

All mothers who are raising children are at risk of developing childcare neurosis, so if you experience these symptoms, there's no need to get depressed and think, "I'm such a terrible parent."

Childcare neurosis can be temporary or it can last for a long time. If it lasts for a long time, it can often be improved by receiving treatment at a psychosomatic clinic or psychiatric clinic.

3 ways to relieve stress when you're tired of raising children

If you're worried and thinking, "I'm tired of raising my child...maybe I'm suffering from child-rearing neurosis?", first try to prioritize relieving your own stress as a mother.

From here, we will introduce three childcare stress relief methods that you can try when you feel like you might be suffering from childcare neurosis.

1. Make time for yourself

It is difficult to find time for yourself while raising children, and it is especially easy to fall into a state of childcare depression if you are a full-time housewife who spends all your time with your children.

Moms have a little free time when their children are taking a nap or after putting them to bed at night.

Try relieving the stress of raising children by eating your favorite foods, watching a movie you've always wanted to see, or getting your nails done.

It is also recommended that husbands look after the kids on their days off, leaving wife to relax at home or go to the hair salon, as this can be a great way to relieve the stress of childcare.

2. Use temporary childcare

The "Child and Child-rearing Support System (Family Support Center Project)" implemented by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare and run by local governments is a form of public child-rearing support that allows parents to temporarily leave their children with volunteers for a fee.

It can be used when mothers want to relax, when they want to get a pile of housework done in one go, or when they need to leave their children with someone due to an unexpected wedding, funeral, or other special event.

To use this service, you must apply for assistance in advance to an advisor (local government), and after being matched with a volunteer, you can use temporary childcare services.

In addition, Family Support Center services often charge an hourly rate, but if you need to leave your children with someone for an extended period of time due to work, caring for the elderly, or for the mother's own physical and mental rest, we recommend temporary childcare at a nursery school or kindergarten.

3. Reward yourself

Many mothers suddenly receive less praise from those around them, and they often find themselves having to start from a negative state and return to zero, such as with a messy room or washing clothes that their children have soiled, so they no longer feel motivated by childcare or housework.

Also, no matter how hard you work, you have fewer opportunities to reward yourself while raising children than you did when you were working, so mothers should make sure to prepare rewards for themselves.

For example, you could leave the kids with someone on a weekend when you're off work and enjoy a slightly more expensive lunch or some shopping.

If you prepare something you want or have been wanting to eat as a reward, and work hard at childcare or housework with that reward in mind, you will feel less empty and empty.

Summary

Many mothers become stressed because child-rearing often does not go as planned.

It is not uncommon for the stress to build up and lead to childcare neurosis, so if you find yourself feeling increasingly depressed or constantly irritable, it is time to be careful.

If you feel like you might be suffering from child-rearing stress, try out the three child-rearing stress relief methods we introduced here.