Hotline helps in times of stress

I don't know about you, but I tend to lose patience easily when I'm overly tired. I've learned it's best to avoid loved ones on those miserable days, lest I snap at them.

But there's no avoiding my 1-year-old son. So in the past year, I've had to learn to take deep breaths and work through my shorter fuse on those days.

This can be hard. Especially around the holidays when everyday stresses are magnified and new stresses are piled on.

Since its launch in March, PAL has gotten more than 1,500 phone calls. Stressed out, depressed and lonely parents and caregivers are on the other end.

The topics covered range from colic and potty training to abuse and homelessness. I'm sure many of you are dealing with holiday chaos on this last week of the year.

So I thought these tips folks at PAL created specifically for frustrated and stressed out parents might help.Take a deep breath. Count to 10.

Imagine that with every deep breath, you are releasing anger.Give everybody a time out, including yourself.

This will give everyone a few minutes to cool off.Put your hands in your pockets or behind your back. This will prevent you from using them to threaten or hit a child.

Talk to someone you trust.Write it out. Write down everything that comes to mind, even ugly thoughts.

Then, tear it up and throw it away with your frustrations.Get safely physical. Do jumping jacks or turn on music and dance.Call the PAL line at 1-866-962-3030 or e-mail concerns at http://www.pal.ua.edu/.

Did you find did blog helpful? Do you have any other suggestions on handling stress? If so, feel free to do so!

Alvaro Castillo has been researching on healthy parenting for many years. Check his website for more information in http://www.myhomeparent.com/