Is It Really Shocking That Our Stress Level Can Affect Our Children’s Stress?

I am always perplexed by studies that reveal things our own common sense dictates are true.

There’s a new book that concludes that your own stress can spill over and affect the stress level of your children.

REALLY?!?!

WHAT A SHOCK!!

It found that it affects them not only mentally, but physically and emotionally as well.

This is not shocking to me as a student of the Law of Attraction.

The law at its most basic is: like attracts like. Like behavior and like thoughts and like attitudes attract more of the same.

I bet there isn’t one person reading this that hasn’t experienced the eclipse that can occur when a negative person enters the room. They are called downers and killjoys and we say they suck the air right out of the room. Right out of our lungs.

The same goes for a positive, happy, fun person entering the room. Except they brighten the room and our lives, don’t they?

I often use the example of comedy. We pay often premium ticket fees to go see people who make us LAUGH. We like hanging around friends and family and colleagues who make us LAUGH.

Why? Because laughing FEELS good. It IS good for us, as numerous studies have shown that laughter truly can be the best medicine. There are no studies I have  seen that conclude laughing is bad for you and your health and well being.

But plenty show that stress and anxiety can lead to depression, illness, and even fuel chronic diseases such as cancer and heart disease.

Since we are all magnets to each other and everything around us, it stands to reason that if you come home stressed about work, family, life, finances, etc., your kids are going to pick up on this. It WILL affect them, even when you don’t think it does.

Imagine driving off from a drive-thru after encountering a cranky, impolite, scowling cashier. Their negativity lingers with you after you drive off, coffee or burger in hand. Even though the interaction was only a few second long!!

So imagine being exposed to that for hours every day or week!

Stress is normal. We all feel it at some point if we are human.

But we have to be careful to guard our children from it as best as we can.

We often forget that they have their OWN stresses to deal with and adding our own to theirs is only cruel and unusual and doesn’t help us OR them.

So put on the happiest face you can. Not just in front of the kids. But in front of the world.

Even when you FAKE a smile, your brain shoots off chemicals that actually trick your body and mind into FEELING BETTER.

Smile!! You wear it better than you think!!

Be the person people want to be around when you enter the room.