February 23rd, 2021

A Conversation About Parent/Carer Mental Health

Good afternoon.

How are you 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 wanted to talk to you about how to manage your mental health as a parent or caregiver,

So, what is mental health? Well, according to the WHO, mental health is, "... a state of well-being in which an individual realises his or her own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and is able to make a contribution to his or her community." 

We all have a level of mental health, just as we do a level of physical health. In order to maintain good physical health, we might eat our greens, exercise and drink lots of water… And looking after your mental health is very similar. You simply need to feed your mind more of what it needs to stay healthy… Like sleep, connection, self-belief, joy and purpose. Does that make sense?

Since we've now defined what mental health is, I thought we might explore some of the common reasons why parents or carers may be struggling at the moment. Can you identify with any of these?
 

• Lack of freedom to spend time away from home, even just a coffee with friends.
• Extended periods of time inside.
• Poor weather limiting amount of exercise.
• Daily homeschooling (perhaps combined with working from home).
• Difficulty managing children’s behaviour as they are restless.
• Poor diet as no time to plan healthy meals.
• Financial stress due to furlough or job loss/insecurity.
• Lack of free time to rest or enjoy hobbies.
• Communication difficulties both in and out of the household.
• Boredom – what is there to do?
• Feeling like there isn’t enough time in the day.

 
Do any of those feel true to you? Perhaps more than one of them?
 
The truth is, there are hundreds of reasons why you might be struggling at the moment, and this is going to feel different for everyone. 

To help you combat some of the challenges you may be facing at the moment, here are some of my top tips for trying to improve, and to maintain, a good level of mental health:
 

• Try to end each day with gratitude! Not just for the people, experiences and things around you, but for all of the challenges (however big or small) you overcame that day. I truly believe that cultivating your gratitude practice is one of the best tools out there!
• Daily meditation or “time out”, even if you can only manage it before bed or first thing in the morning. Value yourself enough to give yourself some time alone, to reflect, prepare and feel calm.
• Talk. This one sounds simple, but we understand that it isn’t always easy to talk to loved-ones or pick up the phone when times are tough. That being said, you know what they say, “a problem shared can be a problem halved”. Accept help from those around you, and start by sharing what you need.

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Please remember you aren't alone. You are welcome to contact me and the HappiMe team, or check out some of the amazing organisations that are also there to help you. They can be found here. 

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.

I aim to post every Tuesday, but don't worry - if you're following us on our socials, you will get a reminder there. 

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Take care,

Abby and the HappiMe Team x