Dealing With Stress In Military Families

Online, March 23, 2011 (Newswire.com) - A new study has been released showing the effects on military families deployed overseas.

The findings were presented following three years of research into the well-being, family functioning and social development of adolescents in military families.

Deborah Harrison, a sociology professor at the University of New Brunswick who led the study, says living with a parent who has post-traumatic stress disorder on their return from a deployment continues the psychological stress felt by a child.

Kid's in military families under stress

Stress can be physically debilitating if you don't arm yourself with a variety of ways to deal with it.

Do you find yourself unable to fall asleep when it's time for shut down at the end of a long day, your mind a buzz with all sorts of tasks running through it - yet most days you would kill to crawl up in a quite corner at work because you can barely keep your eyes open?

Hand in hand with sleep problems, lots of people suffer from digestive upset, a racing and erratic heart rate, shortness of breath and joint/muscle aches and pains. If you find yourself suffering from any, or more than likely, most of these symptoms, you're not alone. The side effects of stress are downright scary.

Can stress be beneficial?

Stress is nearly impossible to escape in today's fast paced life. The pressure to do more, be more and have it all is like an unrelenting drum beat. The rapid increase in technology is constantly producing devices that are supposedly going to help us succeed, but in reality, only add to the pressure. You are expected to be available 24/7, to be always connected and available. With the invention of hand held devices, you can never use the excuse that you weren't home to get the call, or were out of the office until Monday so you didn't get the message or e-mail. In essence you can never get off the treadmill that is your life. Everyone needs the opportunity to "check out" and "turn off" to outside influences, whether they be work or even social/family.

Unconsciously, you might find yourself overindulging to the point of excess in things like alcohol, food, shopping, gambling and possibly even drugs. While these actions might bring a temporary & immediate reduction in your stress level, the long term side effects create a host of other problems. Stress can also negatively affect your personality. Often times your relationships with the people you love most in this world become strained. As a result, this compounds the stress you are already experiencing.

If you're at the stage where stress has already created serious medical conditions, you need to get to your doctor immediately. By this stage it's already too late to try to fix these medical conditions by reducing your stress level. You physically need to repair your health. Once your health has been stabilized, you'll need to learn how to deal with stress so you can avoid the negative affects on your health in the future. Let's face it, it's impossible to 100% eliminate stress from your life, so arming yourself with some techniques to deal with it is the only solution.

Dealing with stress doesn't need to be complicated or cost tons of money. Simply adding exercise to your daily routine can make a big impact on how your body reacts to stress. If you have never exercised before in your life and aren't the type to go into a gym or workout at home, you can choose to do things like simply taking a walk around your neighborhood after dinner rather than plopping down in front of the television. Many people think that they'll relax by slowing down and watching TV. In fact, a lot of today's popular medical and police dramas highlight the negative aspects of life and can be quite distressful. Also, networks have flooded the airways with reality shows that in essence, come nowhere near the life of the average person watching them.

Try to be more social. It might sound impossible because many people already feel over scheduled and every commitment seems important, but if you take a look at how you're spending your time and see if you can better prioritize things, you'll be surprised at the benefits. Being around friends who are happy will have a positive affect on you. Also, try helping others in your community through volunteering. Volunteering allows you to take the focus off of your life and turn it to making someone else's better.

Whichever action you choose to take try to deal with your stress, admitting that you are stressed is a huge first step. You are now on your way to leading a proactive, healthy approach to living with stress.

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