Stress from the addition of a new family member

Keep to a schedule

Even if your normal schedule needs to change drastically (as in the case of new children), try to come up with a new schedule that you can follow. This will allow you to feel more in control of your situation and help you maintain a sense of stability.

Let the non-important things go

When you're adding a new family member, your time is going to be more limited as they will need at least some of your attention if not all of it. To help you free up this necessary time, you should try to keep a priority list of things that need to be done around the house and only do the things that are crucial to the health and safety of the family. That means that you might want to keep up on the laundry, but don't worry about rearranging the bookshelves.

Realise that it's not just you that's stressed - When you stop to recognise that you're not the only one that's feeling the strain of a new family member, you can feel like it's less of a burden on you. Talk with your partner or your children about what is happening so that you can all communicate about your feelings and problem solve as needed.

Lower your expectations

What you need to remember is that changes can often make you feel like things are going wrong, even when they're not. Try to lower the expectations that you have for your new family situation. Not everyone is going to be happy about what is happening, but not everyone is going to be sad about it. Try to lower the expectations that you have and realise that what is going to happen will happen, and that's just fine.

Adding a new family member can be an amazing experience. Not only is your family growing and changing, but you're also going to have a new person to add to the fray of family life. Instead of feeling stressed about this addition, try to embrace the change as a chance to learn more about yourself and your family ties.

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