AUBURN - Sibling arguments. Disagreements with your boss. An overflowing toilet. Two soccer games in one day on opposite sides of town. And on and on and on ...
Angela Kershner / The Citizen
Jerry Redmond of Auburn, left, Amy O'Hare of Auburn, EPIC facilitator Kit Shorr of Auburn, Nicole Lader of Auburn, and Megan Woods of Seneca Falls, right, listen as EPIC facilitator Gilda Holmes of Auburn, center, leads the discussion during “Coping with Daily Stress and Frustration,” at the Every Person Influences Children offices in Auburn last week.
Jerry Redmond of Auburn, left, Amy O'Hare of Auburn, EPIC facilitator Kit Shorr of Auburn, Nicole Lader of Auburn, and Megan Woods of Seneca Falls, right, listen as EPIC facilitator Gilda Holmes of Auburn, center, leads the discussion during “Coping with Daily Stress and Frustration,” at the Every Person Influences Children offices in Auburn last week.
Whether young or old, rich or poor, single or married, every person deals with stress on a daily basis. At work and at home, personal and financial, these day-to-day frustrations come in many guises.
Last week, Every Person Influences Children (EPIC) continued its ongoing parenting workshop with “Coping with Daily Stress and Frustration,” a round-table discussion held to help community members deal with stressful situations.
The workshop was part of EPIC's Pathways to Parenting program, a series of meetings in which parents learn the most effective ways to raise their children.
The meetings are run by community members EPIC trains to facilitate them, said Sharon DeRusha, regional director of the not-for-profit organization.
“Our mission here is to help parents, teachers and community members raise children to be healthy, responsible adults,” she said prior to the meeting.
Opened in Auburn in 2001, the center offers workshops on building character and on effective leadership, in addition to the parenting series.
The meeting, which was attended by a dozen parents and facilitated by Auburn residents Gilda Holmes and Kit Shorr, focused on information taken from a workbook written for the workshop series. The discussion included the identification of the causes of stress for parents, methods for coping with frustration and strategies for teaching children to deal with them as well.
According to the workbook, stress can come from anywhere, but the primary sources are at home, at work or in financial matters. The group identified numerous stressful situations such as illness, divorce, a job change and lack of money, and noted the physical changes that occur.
“When we feel stress, we usually sweat, our heart rate goes up and we may become short of breath,” Shorr told the group. “But more important than the actual causes of stress is how we respond to the situations.”
In addition, she continued, children learn behavior from their parents, so if adults yell, physically lash out or show feelings of inadequacy, so will their children.
“Since I've started these workshops, I don't yell anymore,” one group member said. “I've learned that it just doesn't do any good.”
One popular coping method involves deep breathing, a technique used regularly by Missy Morgan of Auburn, a server at Auburn Family Restaurant and mother to Nicholas, 6.
Whether dealing with angry customers at work or with Nicholas at home, Morgan said that her usual practice of dealing with stress involves taking a few seconds to breathe and relax.
“My son throws temper tantrums, and when he does, I've found it works best to just walk away,” she said. “Here at work, I do the same thing. Luckily, I'm a people person, so I don't have problems (with customers) very often.”
Many people believe that having a job they truly enjoy is a good stress reliever, an assumption shared by Auburn resident Mike DeForrest. While he likes his position on the maintenance crew at Genesee Gardens Apartments, he said, his true passion is his job as P.A. announcer for the Auburn Doubledays.
“I've been lucky to always have a job that I really love, so I think that helps avoid some stressful situations to begin with,” DeForrest said. When frustrations do arise, he said, he practices yoga and meditation.
“Taking care of your body is key,” he continued, noting that he also jogs or lifts weights daily to blow off steam.
The workshop ended with a discussion of helping children cope with stress. If parents deal with their own frustrations first, the group noted, their children are able to do it for themselves.
“If we, as parents, keep ourselves healthy, and we're able to control our response to daily conflict, we can help our children do the same,” Shorr said.
Need help?
What: Pathways to Parenting program
When: Various times
Where: EPIC office, 10 Seminary Ave., Auburn
To learn more: Call 253-8583 or visit www.epicforchildren.org
Last week, Every Person Influences Children (EPIC) continued its ongoing parenting workshop with “Coping with Daily Stress and Frustration,” a round-table discussion held to help community members deal with stressful situations.
The workshop was part of EPIC's Pathways to Parenting program, a series of meetings in which parents learn the most effective ways to raise their children.
The meetings are run by community members EPIC trains to facilitate them, said Sharon DeRusha, regional director of the not-for-profit organization.
“Our mission here is to help parents, teachers and community members raise children to be healthy, responsible adults,” she said prior to the meeting.
Opened in Auburn in 2001, the center offers workshops on building character and on effective leadership, in addition to the parenting series.
The meeting, which was attended by a dozen parents and facilitated by Auburn residents Gilda Holmes and Kit Shorr, focused on information taken from a workbook written for the workshop series. The discussion included the identification of the causes of stress for parents, methods for coping with frustration and strategies for teaching children to deal with them as well.
According to the workbook, stress can come from anywhere, but the primary sources are at home, at work or in financial matters. The group identified numerous stressful situations such as illness, divorce, a job change and lack of money, and noted the physical changes that occur.
“When we feel stress, we usually sweat, our heart rate goes up and we may become short of breath,” Shorr told the group. “But more important than the actual causes of stress is how we respond to the situations.”
In addition, she continued, children learn behavior from their parents, so if adults yell, physically lash out or show feelings of inadequacy, so will their children.
“Since I've started these workshops, I don't yell anymore,” one group member said. “I've learned that it just doesn't do any good.”
One popular coping method involves deep breathing, a technique used regularly by Missy Morgan of Auburn, a server at Auburn Family Restaurant and mother to Nicholas, 6.
Whether dealing with angry customers at work or with Nicholas at home, Morgan said that her usual practice of dealing with stress involves taking a few seconds to breathe and relax.
“My son throws temper tantrums, and when he does, I've found it works best to just walk away,” she said. “Here at work, I do the same thing. Luckily, I'm a people person, so I don't have problems (with customers) very often.”
Many people believe that having a job they truly enjoy is a good stress reliever, an assumption shared by Auburn resident Mike DeForrest. While he likes his position on the maintenance crew at Genesee Gardens Apartments, he said, his true passion is his job as P.A. announcer for the Auburn Doubledays.
“I've been lucky to always have a job that I really love, so I think that helps avoid some stressful situations to begin with,” DeForrest said. When frustrations do arise, he said, he practices yoga and meditation.
“Taking care of your body is key,” he continued, noting that he also jogs or lifts weights daily to blow off steam.
The workshop ended with a discussion of helping children cope with stress. If parents deal with their own frustrations first, the group noted, their children are able to do it for themselves.
“If we, as parents, keep ourselves healthy, and we're able to control our response to daily conflict, we can help our children do the same,” Shorr said.
Need help?
What: Pathways to Parenting program
When: Various times
Where: EPIC office, 10 Seminary Ave., Auburn
To learn more: Call 253-8583 or visit www.epicforchildren.org
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