10 Ways To Decrease Your Stress About Your Parents' Divorce

Ten, scientifically proven ways of decreasing stress when living through the divorce of your parents'. Sponsored by the Human Development and Family Studies Department at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

1. Reappraise the Stimulus

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1. Understand what specifically is causing you stress

2. Try to rethink this stress and think of the positives that might occur from this.

3. Always remember, whatever might be occurring...THIS TOO SHALL PASS

2. Monitor and Label Your Emotions

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Sometimes just understanding your emotions and labeling them can help in avoiding stressful situations.

3. Briefly Define Your Needs and Rehearse Them

When communicating with a parent about the stress of the divorce remember to:

1. Define your needs

2. Mentally rehearse what you're going to say

3. Keep it short

4. Be ready with several potential solutions

4. Journal Frequenlty

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Even if you never read this out loud, just writing down your thoughts can help you express your emotions in a healthy way and aid in articulating what you are going through.

5. Limit the Number of Complaints

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When talking to a parent or friend, hearing a large amount of negative complaints can seem overwhelming for anyone. Keep your complaints you have about certain behaviors to 2-3 items

6. Take a Walk

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Physically removing yourself from a stressful situation or just having some quite time can help clear your head and aids in producing feel-good hormones such as endorphins

7. Remember you are NOT Alone and Understand the Statistics

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Even though your parents divorce can be very hard, the majority of children who experience the divorce of their parents are not negatively effected in the long run or even after one year.

8. Listen to Music

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Studies have shown that listening to upbeat music helps release dopamine in the brain, helping deal with stressful situations.

9. Smile

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It has been shown that smiling and laughing, even if forced, can help elevate a mood, even for just a minute a day! So don't forget to SMILE!

10. Utilize Other Online Resources

1. http://careerskillet.org/mestressbffs/

2. http://missourifamilies.org/features/divorcearticles/divorcefeature16.htm

3. http://divorcescience.org/for-students/