Painfully True Moments of Fatherhood
There are so many moments, big and small that reward you as a father. From the very first moment you hold your child, to their first words and first steps, these memories create a lasting impact in your life as a parent. The amazing moments are most certainly intermixed with truly stressful experiences, firsts of every kind that completely change one’s life with potential health effects.
The stress many parents experience is known by professionals as ‘parenting stress’.
According to psychologists, parenting stress is the distress you experience when you feel you just can't cope as a parent. The demands being placed on you are too high. You don't have the resources to meet them.
New fathers, just like Mark McDevitt, do not initially realize the levels of hard work and resiliency being a father requires. He writes in a truthfully telling article about his experiences:
”It’s not that I expected fatherhood to be easy, I just didn’t expect it would be so hard. I drastically underestimated how much physical, mental and emotional fortitude it would require.”
- Mark McDevitt
Being a father brings many new experiences, new challenges and new stressors. Many fathers are dealing with forms of chronic stress and disorders such as depression or anxiety without the tools to help. Unfortunately, many ignore their symptoms rather than seek help. There seems to be a societal stigma for men to share their feelings on topics such as chronic stress and the mental and emotional impacts of fatherhood.
It is extremely important to find solutions for chronic stress. When the natural stress response becomes CHRONIC, the health impacts pile up. When stressors are always present and you constantly feel under attack, that fight-or-flight reaction stays turned on.
Stress increases the risk of many health problems, including:
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Headaches
- Sleep problems
- Weight gain
- Memory and concentration impairment
That's why it's so important to learn healthy ways to cope with your life stressors.
Stress Management for Fathers
ACUPUNCTURE. Getting routine acupuncture can help encourage your body to release naturally produced endorphins and stimulate your parasympathetic, rest and digest, response. This process essentially alleviates the physical symptoms associated with stress and supports natural healing.
MINDFULNESS. Practice Mindfulness and meditation to align with the present moment. You don’t have to take up an elaborate meditation practice. Simply make an effort to focus on the present. Practicing relaxation techniques such as trying yoga, practicing deep breathing, getting a massage are all beneficial.
ASK FOR HELP. Express your feeling about fatherhood, both the good and bad moments to friends and family. Foster friendships and professional counseling when needed. By taking care of your own mental health, you’ll improve your ability to be a great father.
If you are dealing with feelings of chronic stress, depression or anxiety a licensed Acupuncturist at Modern Acupuncture can help you experience relief and develop the tools to help you maintain a healthy lifestyle long-term. The benefits will extend to you and your family.
Acupuncture Relieves Stress
Modern Acupuncture® is a natural stress relief solution and the leading provider of acupuncture in the U.S. The most studied theories show that acupuncture stimulates the body to release naturally produced “feel good” endorphins and stimulate the parasympathetic or “rest and digest” response in our body, alleviating symptoms associated with stress.
Visit the clinic nearest you today.
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