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How are you feeling this week? What have been your biggest wins? What hasn't gone so well? What lessons have you taken away from these experiences? Are you ready to let them go now? At HappiMe, I speak to parents and carers every day who share that they’re worried they aren’t raising their children “right”. It’s something I hear more than any other concern! Do you ever feel like this? This week, I will be sharing advice on tips to help parents feel more confident about how to raise their children well.
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 Hi, lovelies!
How are you feeling this week? What have been your biggest wins? What hasn't gone so well? What lessons have you taken away from these experiences? Are you ready to let them go now? If you can, spend some time journaling your answers to the questions above. Let's have a chat about parent/carer mental health... “Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.” – Arthur Ashe When speaking with a parent recently, they shared their love of this quote. In exploring how they were feeling, it became clear why this message was so important to them. The truth is, as parents, it can often feel like you are always getting it wrong. Life is hard, but throw children, school, work, finances, and everything else into the mix, and it can feel like a daily hike up a snowy mountain – with constant avalanches and 100mph winds. Would you like to know my message to all parents/carers out there? REMEMBER THAT YOU CAN ONLY DO YOUR BEST. You will get it wrong, you will make mistakes and things will be tough… But you are human. No one can get it right all of the time. I thought it might also be helpful to share some of my top tips for managing our mental health better as a parent or carer too: Accept help! Whether from your family, loved ones, or school staff, accept support even if you think you don’t need it. Allow the kids to spend the day with family, and encourage them to join clubs and extra-curriculars. These experiences are good for them, but they can also be good for you too. When you get free time, use it for yourself. There are only so many hours in a day, and it can be easy to put your own needs at the bottom of the never-ending “to do” list. If you find yourself with a free half an hour, make the most of it! Read a book, call a friend, have a bath… Find time to look after yourself. Go easy on yourself. Nobody, and we mean nobody, gets it right all of the time. Life is a journey of trial and error, and providing you’re doing your best and accepting help when it’s needed, you’re doing a better job than you think you are. Talk to your children about how you’re feeling. It may not be appropriate to pour your heart out to your 5-year-old, but when things are tough, it’s ok to explain this to your children in a way they can understand. Being authentic with them about life’s struggles will allow them to build on their own resilience, preparing them for the realities of life in adulthood. Here are some other useful resources worth looking at:
I just wanted to reiterate that if you are struggling, you really aren’t alone. Parent/carer burnout and overwhelm are very real experiences. If you’d like a supportive ear, some advice, and a chance to talk to someone who understands, feel free to get in touch for a free, no-obligation chat today. I aim to post every Tuesday, but don't worry - if you're following us on our socials, you will get a reminder there. Follow us Instagram. Like us on Facebook. Check us out on Twitter. If you aren't already, feel free to connect with me on LinkedIn too, for more on children's mental health. Take care, Abby and the HappiMe Team x  Good morning!
How are you this week? What have been your biggest wins? Think of 3, if you can... What hasn't gone so well? What lessons have you taken away from these experiences? Let's have a chat about why children tell lies (or "fibs"). As a children’s therapist and coach, parents/carers frequently tell me that their child has been “fibbing” or telling lies, and they don’t know why, or what to do about it. This is a tough one for many families, so I wanted to share some resources and tips for talking to your children about lying. The first thing to remember is that most children learn how to tell “white lies” or “fibs” as young as 2/3 years old – so, you aren’t doing anything wrong! They might learn how to “bend the truth” in order to escape being told off, or learn to manipulate fellow pre-school friends in order to play with the toy they wish to play with. The truth is, the way you deal with the “fib” is far more important than how they learned to do it. In society, most of adults tell ‘innocent’ lies to those around them too. For example, have you ever eaten a meal at a restaurant that wasn’t up to scratch, but lied to waiting staff when they ask how your meal was? How about telling your boss you have almost finished a project that is due at 5pm, when you have barely started it? Sometimes, it may feel like lying is necessary, which children may pick up on… In this Psychology Today article, you will find some great conversation topics for children who have started to tell lies, or for those whose lies have grown into something bigger. I also thought it might be helpful to explore some of the reasons why children may tell lies or “fibs” in the first place. In my experience, these are some key reasons: - Low confidence – Children may exaggerate their skills or experience in something to “fit in” or to feel better about themselves. This is, of course, about the opinions of those around them more than whether what they’re saying is true or not. - Low self-worth – Children may tell friends they have more toys, electronics or friends than what they actually have. This is sometimes because they don’t feel “worthy” as they are. - Low self-esteem – Children sometimes lie to others in order to make people like or respect them to compensate for not liking themselves. This could be by saying they like to dance, when they don’t, or that they love a TV show that they actually find really boring. As you can probably see, these 3 reasons can intertwine. If you’d like some useful tips for building confidence, self-esteem and self-worth in your children, please feel free to contact me here. I hope this blog helped you in some way. If you liked this post... Follow us Instagram. Like us on Facebook. Check us out on Twitter. If you aren't already, feel free to connect with me on LinkedIn too, for more on children's mental health. Take care, Abby and the HappiMe Team x A Conversation About My Top Recommended Resources Good afternoon...
How are you feeling this week? What have been your biggest wins? What hasn't gone so well? What lessons have you taken away from these experiences? Are you ready to let them go now? Today, I am going to share my top recommended resources… Including some great apps and podcasts! Firstly, have you ever used Scribd? Do you love to read, or are you a parent who finds audiobooks more accessible? Either way, Scribd is exactly what you need. Featuring lots of great parenting books, useful articles, interesting audiobooks and “snapshots” of books we just don’t have time to get through, for just under £10 each month, it’s a no-brainer… Check it out here. My second recommendation is just as useful! Have you ever practiced meditation? I truly believe it can be really useful tool for children and adults. Would you like an app that can help you get started? Insight Timer is a one-stop-shop for all things meditation-related… And its’ free version has everything you’ll need! From a 7-day beginners course, to children’s sleeping meditations, it a brilliant app that I recommend to clients often. Take a look here. Next is a recommendation for women and girls everywhere! Clue is so much more than just a period tracking app... Hormones play a huge part in how we feel, our ability to learn and grow, our energy… And so much more! Tracking your whole cycle regularly can help you to plan projects based on when you’re generally most productive, monitor your mood and know when your period is about to begin… Find out more here. To end this post, I wanted to share one of my favourite podcasts! The Savvy Psychologist’s Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Mental Health is ace for those who want to learn more about how to take care of their mental health. Meet life’s challenges with evidence-based research, a sympathetic ear, and zero judgment. Savvy Psychologist uses the best of psychology to help you be happier, healthier, and most importantly, yourself. Oh, and it’s really easy to digest and understand! Here's the link. And... That's it from me for another week! If you’d like a supportive ear, some advice and a chance to talk to someone, feel free to get in touch for a free, no-obligation chat today. I aim to post every Tuesday, but don't worry - if you're following us on our socials, you will get a reminder there. Follow us Instagram. Like us on Facebook. Check us out on Twitter. If you aren't already, feel free to connect with me on LinkedIn too, for more on children's mental health. Take care, Abby and the HappiMe Team x A Conversation About the UK's "New Normal" Happy Tuesday!
How are you feeling this week? What have been your biggest wins? What hasn't gone so well? What lessons have you taken away from these experiences? Are you ready to let them go now? This week, I wanted to talk about how to look after the mental health of you and your family as the UK comes out of a 14-month lockdown. It feels important to encourage you to reflect on the challenges and barriers you have overcome over the past year. How is your life different to what it was like last March? Do you feel excited about a summer out of lockdown? Do you feel a little bit anxious or apprehensive, if so, have you accepted that this is ok, too? Will the UK overcome the rise in loneliness as we come out of lockdown? Back in February, the ONS completed a survey which found that people were worried about feeling "left behind" and "stuck" as restrictions ease across the country. Is this something you have considered? As news outlets share the excitement across the nation whilst we slowly go back to a new normal, some have not considered that not everyone is sharing these feelings of joy. In fact, many feel worried about a different “normal”. Top Tips for Parents Trying to Navigate a “New Normal”: If you are you a parent trying to figure out how to get back to “normal” after months of working from the dining table, home-schooling and not seeing friends and family, these could be helpful for you... Here are my top tips for coming out of lockdown with (some) ease…
Oh, and before you go, here are some other useful links! Study: BBC & ONS's Study on Loneliness Resource: Mental Health Org Books: Top Self-Help Books about Loneliness If you’d like a supportive ear, some advice and a chance to talk to someone, feel free to get in touch for a free, no-obligation chat today. I aim to post every Tuesday, but don't worry - if you're following us on our socials, you will get a reminder there. Follow us Instagram. Like us on Facebook. Check us out on Twitter. If you aren't already, feel free to connect with me on LinkedIn too, for more on children's mental health. Take care, Abby and the HappiMe Team x A Conversation About HappiMe Hey, hey!
How are you feeling this week? What have been your biggest wins? What hasn't gone so well? What lessons have you taken away from these experiences? Are you ready to let them go now? If you can, spend some time journalling your answers to the questions above. Today, I wanted to share more about what we do here at HappiMe. HappiMe is a mental health service offering coaching, therapy, workshops and training to children, families and the professionals who work with them. Why do we do what we do? For a start, 1 in 6 children in the UK have a mental health disorder, and our goal is to change this. Delving deeper, each member of the HappiMe team has experienced some kind of mental health issue as a child, so feel immensely passionate about supporting others through similar journeys. In the long-term, we wish to share the HappiMe tools (shared in our coaching sessions and staff training workshops) to young people everywhere, with an aim to PREVENT and not just TREAT mental health disorders. What mental health disorders can we help with? Our HappiMe coaches and therapists can support clients with anxiety, depression (and other mood disorders), eating disorders, OCD and pretty much anything in between. If our interventions are appropriate, we can also refer you to a better suited service. We also support young people with lower-level issues, including low-confidence and self-esteem. The HappiMe trainers can also teach professionals how to manage the aforementioned disorders better, with useful advice, tools and strategies, along with longer-term supervisory services. What interventions do we offer? Coaching:
Therapy:
Bespoke Training:
Oh, and I haven’t yet mentioned the books we offer! We have 2 children’s books, ‘Oscar Meets His Worry Chimp’ and ‘How to Stop Worrying’. Check ‘Oscar Meets His Worry Chimp’ out here. Check ‘How to Stop Worrying’ out here. If you’d like a supportive ear, some advice and a chance to talk to someone, feel free to get in touch for a free, no-obligation chat today. I aim to post every Tuesday, but don't worry - if you're following us on our socials, you will get a reminder there. Follow us Instagram. Like us on Facebook. Check us out on Twitter. If you aren't already, feel free to connect with me on LinkedIn too, for more on children's mental health. Take care, Abby and the HappiMe Team x A Conversation About Parent/Carer Mental Health Hi, lovelies!
How are you feeling this week? What have been your biggest wins? What hasn't gone so well? What lessons have you taken away from these experiences? Are you ready to let them go now? If you can, spend some time journalling your answers to the questions above. Let's have a chat about parent/carer mental health... “Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.” – Arthur Ashe When speaking with a parent recently, they shared their love of this quote. In exploring how they were feeling, it became clear why this message was so important to them. The truth is, as parents, it can often feel like you are always getting it wrong. Life is hard, but throw children, school, work, finances and everything else into the mix, and it can feel like a daily hike up a snowy mountain – with constant avalanches and 100mph winds. Would you like to know my message to all parents/carers out there? REMEMBER THAT YOU CAN ONLY DO YOUR BEST. You will get it wrong, you will make mistakes and things will be tough… But you are human. No one can get it right all of the time. I thought it might also be helpful to share some of my top tips for managing our mental health better as a parent or carer too:
Here are some other useful resources worth looking at: I just wanted to reiterate that if you are struggling, you really aren’t alone. Parent/carer burnout and overwhelm are very real experiences. If you’d like a supportive ear, some advice and a chance to talk to someone who understands, feel free to get in touch for a free, no-obligation chat today. I aim to post every Tuesday, but don't worry - if you're following us on our socials, you will get a reminder there. Follow us Instagram. Like us on Facebook. Check us out on Twitter. If you aren't already, feel free to connect with me on LinkedIn too, for more on children's mental health. Take care, Abby and the HappiMe Team x A Conversation About Grief **Trigger Warning - Bereavement**
Hi, hi. How are you this week? What have been your biggest wins? Think of 3, if you can... What hasn't gone so well? What lessons have you taken away from these experiences? Today, I am going to speak candidly about GRIEF, LOSS and HEALING. I think anyone who has lost something or someone they hold dear would agree with me when I say that grieving is a very individual, and incredibly personal journey. I use the term journey, as grief isn't something that gets better at the drop of a hat - it's a process, and the more care you take of yourself during that process, the quicker you will heal and the more you will learn from this heartbreaking time... That's the hope, anyway. The truth is, although there are stages that many people go through, grief is different for everyone. This is where I get candid... Back is 2012, I lost my Nan. She was the light of my life, a second parent and quite frankly, my best friend during my teenage years. She had such a beautiful energy, and her smile would light up a room in an instant... And don't get me started on her belly laugh. Her whole body would move when she chuckled! Anyway, as a family, we all grieved so differently. A few of us had a tearful few weeks, then dusted ourselves off and got stuck into work. 3 or 4 of us found it tougher, taking months to really get back to feeling any pro-longed happiness. Sadly, it also smashed a couple of us to the floor - and we just couldn't stand back up. Eventually, after a few years, the loss became bearable for those who really struggled to come to terms with her death, but it was one of the most gruelling, challenging journeys we had ever experienced. Now, 8-years on, we can talk openly about my Nan's life, and laugh at the good times. There are still a few tears, but they are mostly dabbed away with a smile in the end. This is the story of a close-knit family, all of which had a different experience, dealing with the loss of someone we all loved equally. Do you see the point I'm making? Whether it's a loved-one, a pet or something of sentimental value - please know that the light is there, you may just need to travel a little to find it. In the words of Rumi, “The wound is the place where the light enters you". If you need someone to talk to, feel free to contact me here. I hope this blog helped you in some way. I aim to post every Tuesday, but don't worry - if you're following us on our socials, you will get a reminder there. Follow us Instagram. Like us on Facebook. Check us out on Twitter. If you aren't already, feel free to connect with me on LinkedIn too, for more on children's mental health. Take care, Abby and the HappiMe Team x |
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