Keeping the Home Stress-Free

A Wayside House by Alfred de Breanski, Jr. (1877 - 1957)

 

In order for your mind to function healthily, stress should be kept to a minimum. There are things that create stress that can be avoided, and there are some things that help reduce the stress once it has come upon you.

Too much stress may come from:

Taking on too much responsibility outside your own home.

Giving yourself too much to do and feeling you must do it all.

Too much noise.

Worrying about the work that is piling up that you never have time for.

Family illnesses, or major events that effect the family, such as losses or re-locating or down-sizing.

Being in a state of alert all the time and never being able to relax.

Other people being critical of you or putting pressure on you to do more things or to make drastic changes thst you are not ready for.

Reducing stress can be as simple as taking a day away from it all and getting some rest.

Many years ago an elderly woman recommended to me that I build up a nest-egg to use when I needed a vacation or a rest. She suggested I take out $20.00 extra dollars cash when I did my grocery shopping by writing the cheque for extra, and putting it in a special account. Then, if I ever needed to take a day away from home to rest and go where meals and housework would be done, I could do so. The fund would pay travel expenses and a day out to a favorite place or town.

Getting away can help settle your mind and organize your thoughts, so that your plans and your strategy for your responsibilities become clearer.

If you cannot get away, try just spending half a day in luxury. There are many things to choose from. Settle down in a comfy place with a stack of books to look through or read, play with dolls, draw or paint, write a letter to a friend, or order in a special tea. You can do that, you know! You can actually order a special tea to come straight to your door. Some grocery stores deliver the food selection of your choice, or, you can order a tea-to-go package several days ahead of time online from the multitude of tea sites available these days. If this is not affordable to you, set up a tea tray for yourself using the prettiest things you have, and enjoy visiting with your children, sister, daughters, mother, or whoever will attend. Even if you are alone, it is as satisfying as going out.

 

 

Naps are good, too, and apparently there is a ritual applied to napping.Some people keep as all quilt, lap blanket, throw,mor shawl at the end of their beds to pull up when taking a nap. That way, the bed does not have to be re-made.

 

At home it is always wise to think on a verse like this, if you feel tension. It has helped me many times. It means to focus your thoughts on Christ and what He stands for. If you have to say it in your mind twenty times a day, it can only help you. If it is impossible to take time off, this verse, sung to your own tune, can get you through many things:

Isaiah 26:3    "Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee."

Such a sentence ought to be made into a plaque to place on your desk to read every day.

Christ is called the Rose of Sharon, which is a rose with no thorns, and trusting His word, worshipping and praying to Him can never hurt you.

Reducing noise, clutter, and outside interference, as well as including at least half an hour of total quiet each day can lower stress and even remove it.

As a homemaker, you have to keep your mind healthy and clear and refreshed, so do not pay any attention to any remarks about you sitting still for a spell. Even a car has to be tuned up regularly. Should we treat ourselves with any less respect? I used to think that putting stress on myself by taking on extra work was good, but later I came to understand that your adrenaline is needed for emergencies, or when unplanned, unforeseen things ocurr. There is no use in bringing stress on yourself deliberately but if you look after yourself, you will be strong when you have to be strong.

 

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