Homebodies, adventure-seekers, arm-chair warriors: What shall we do this weekend?
Ceara Deno, MD • October 26, 2023
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The weekend is coming: shall we go out or stay in?
The weekend is coming. And for sensitive families, it brings tough questions.
- Shall we go out or stay in?
- Shall we make plans or leave the day free?
- Shall we spend time together or alone?
Finding answers that meet everyone’s needs is not always easy. The “Sweet Spot," where everyone’s needs for stimulation and downtime are met, can be hard! Really, really hard.
What if my need for stimulation and excitement competes with your need for downtime and rest? When we stay home, I get cabin-fever, feel restless, start to climb the walls. But when we go out, you feel depleted, irritable, exhausted.
How do we meet everyone’s needs? How do we find the balance where everyone’s nervous system is functioning optimally?
Here are tips to meet everyone’s needs this weekend:
1.) Sleep more:
- Sleep increases tolerance for stress
- This means when you’ve slept enough, you tolerate activities that would otherwise be too stressful
- Sleep also makes us calmer and more patient when things are hard
2.) Be kinder to yourself, ask for more support, and lower the demands on yourself:
- Social support increases our ability to tolerate stress
- Being met with compassion when we struggle helps us do hard things
- In order to be met with compassion, we first need to practice voicing our feelings and needs
- Practice saying: “I find this kind of activity hard, and it would support me if….”
- Give yourself permission to take breaks, ask for help, do half as much--without beating yourself up
- Simply sharing out loud that something is hard with someone supportive, and asking for support, can increase your tolerance for stress
3.) Move more:
- Moving more is a powerful way to increase stress tolerance and relieve tension
- Without adequate movement, our nervous system goes into fight/flight/freeze
- Move alone or with your family
- Everything counts--pillow fights, walks in the woods, shooting hoops
*******
Sensitive families, I’ll be thinking of you this weekend. I hope you find a “Sweet Spot” where everyone’s needs for stimulation and downtime are met. And if you struggle, I hope you meet yourself with kindness, compassion, and extra support.
You deserve it. Whether you go out or not.
Looking for more support to help your sensitive family thrive?? Schedule a free call with me by clicking HERE.
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