Daylight Savings with LESS STRESS

It’s daylight savings and you know what that means! Getting your child up in the morning and to bed at night, often two of the main battles of the day, will be even more challenging than usual…

We can reset the clock by simply pushing a button. It’s not as easy to reset our child’s body clock (or ours for that matter.) That’s because the change to daylight savings time disrupts our circadian rhythm, the cycle of our physiological processes over 24 hours. This disruption can cause problems sleeping and eating normally beyond just the time they're happening.
Adjusting to daylight savings time can take a few days or even longer – think major jet lag.

Here are 3 stress to success strategies you can utilize this week to help make the adjustment easier for all of you…

#1 PREPARE BY BEING AWARE

In my parenting tele-class last week I showed how your child’s behavior is a communication of stress and overwhelm. This disruption in circadian rhythm is a form of stress so EXPECT IT to show up in some additional behavior challenges. Then you won’t be taken by surprise!

#2 BUILD IN EXTRA TIME

Clear your plate as much as you can this week and give yourself and your child extra time at BOTH ends of the day. That way YOU will feel less stressed and be able to have more patience to give your child a bit longer to do what they need to do.
#3 BE PROACTIVE RATHER THAN REACTIVE

Invest an extra 5-10 minutes of mommy or daddy time with your child: In the morning when (s)he is waking up and in the evening between dinner and bed (This is where the extra time you built in in #2 comes into play)

This investment will deepen your relationship with your child while saving time and energy in the long run!