How Your Parenting Style Can Affect Your Health
April 20, 2018
Can your parenting style be harmful to your health? Well, it depends. For several years, studies have gauged the connection between mental health and parenting. Most parents are not aware that a relaxed or a perfectionist parenting style can affect your health.
Some researchers have reported that bringing up a child influences our well-being and happiness. A published study of Child and Family Studies indicates that our parenting style is a vital factor to consider. According to some academic scholars at the University of Mary Washington, Virginia, moms who embark on intensive parenting often experience a negative mental health effect such as depression and stress.
In essence, it is a fundamental belief held by moms that they must sacrifice their needs and happiness for their children. As a result, they depend on their children for their happiness. Furthermore, they offer stimulating leisure interest to their children without giving them any opportunities to amuse themselves and have fun.
Additionally, these parents feel they are more capable to manage the affairs of the kids. Therefore they take on several parenting tasks daily, which usually lead to exhaustion and resentment.
Having said that, let’s look at some parenting styles and how these styles are taking a toll on your health wise.
Helicopter
Helicopter parents feel the need to save their kids. Also, they are parents who hang around their kids at the home, school and play parks. They are the perfectionist who view their kids as an indication of their success.
Regrettably, if you put such pressure on yourself, you are at risk of burning out and falling into depression. Such burnout can cause a lot of health problems like insomnia, gastrointestinal woes, and heart disease.
Experts recommend stepping back anytime you feel you are about to rescue your child – let them make mistakes. Fighting the urge to save them will make them realize that they can recover. Furthermore, it offers a feeling of calm, and liberation, which will, in turn, reduce stress.
Authoritarian
This form of parenting style is passed down from one generation to the other. Shouting at your kid to carry out a task might make you feel good, however, your child will rebel eventually (which is normal) and this will make you even more anxious and aggressive.
Whenever your anger is out of control, it increases the heartbeat rate, the muscles tighten up, and our blood is channeled from the stomach to our extremities.
If you know when anxiety and anger are activated, you can fight the thoughts and stop those uncontrollable and automatic responses from happening. What you need to do is stop, sit, breathe, and count from one to ten.
Authoritative
This is considered a healthy and effective way of raising children. Parents are emotionally available, warm and engaged with their children. In an authoritative parenting style, parents show kindness and respect towards their kids and concentrates on discerning beliefs behind their behaviors. It is a popular form of parenting and accepted by most parents. Authoritative parenting lessens anxiety levels because you know so much about your children.
Remember that if you choose to incorporate a new parenting style, things might not be rosy at the beginning, but they will definitely get better. Happy parenting!
