A Conversation About Parent/Carer Mental HealthHi, 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
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A Conversation About Parent/Carer Mental HealthGood 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?
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:
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. 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 Self-CareHi-de-hi.
How are you this week? What have been your biggest wins? Come on, think of 3 if you can... What hasn't gone so well? What lessons have you taken away from these experiences? I thought I'd share some of my self-care rituals with you today, given that 2021 hasn't been easy for many thus far. I suppose I am one of the "lucky ones", in a sense that I find it reasonably easy to put my mental health first... However, it hasn't always been that way, and I know I'm probably a bit of an anomaly. It takes practice and discipline, but when you start to really take care of yourself, life just seems to feel just that little bit easier. Self-care can help you to be more resilient, more self-confident and better in control of your emotions and thoughts. Here are my top tips for looking after your mind, body and heart! - Mind - Meditation! I practice around 30-minutes of meditation each day, and after I made the commitment to do this, my mind was so much quieter throughout the day. It felt like a reset. There are great apps and guided meditations on YouTube, so just find what works for you. When I first started, I found Insight Timer a game-changer. - Heart - Joy! Do one thing each day that brings you joy, whether it's savouring a cup of coffee, a walk, time to read or a hot bath... Fill your heart with deliberate happiness for at least 30-minutes every day! - Body - Exercise! I'm not talking 90-minutes at Spin, but even a gentle walk, a short HIT workout or some fun in the garden... Exercise releases endorphins, as well as looking after your body, too! Give these a go for 30-days and see how you feel afterwards. The message that helped change my mindset on this when we first started HappiMe was... "There is one thing guaranteed in your life, and that is that you'll be stuck with you for the duration, so you just as well nurture that relationship." How true is that? So, do you think you can put yourself first? 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. Take care, Abby x A Conversation About Children's Mental HealthGood afternoon.
How are you this week? What have been your biggest wins? Trust me, you can think of at least 3… What hasn't gone so well? What lessons have you taken away from these experiences? So, it’s children’s mental health week. I know it goes without saying given that the HappiMe ethos is all about improving children’s mental health, but this awareness week couldn’t be more important. Why? As you can see, this is a growing problem… In fact, stats show that each year thousands more young people are diagnosed with mental health disorders, and that’s just the ones we know about. After a 2020’s events, I would imagine those numbers are going to soar higher than they ever have before, which is just so incredibly sad. As a young person, I really struggled with my mental health. Although we didn’t have a name for it at the time, I spent the majority of my teenage years with quite severe anxiety… I hid it well until it all came to a head in my early twenties – which was when I was finally ready to make a change. You see, whether you’re 12-years-old, or 45, keeping on top of your mental health is such a personal journey. This is why, when we started developing HappiMe coaching and therapy programmes, we did it with teaching clients how to take care of themselves at the core of every intervention. If you have tools and strategies to manage your mental and emotional health, imagine how much better life can be? As a not-for-profit, we think it’s important to ensure everyone is able to access good quality mental health support. This is why we send out a free resource pack to everyone who joins The HappiMe Club. But wait, what is The HappiMe Club? Well, it’s a place where all members get exclusive special offers, freebies and monthly tips and advice for supporting themselves and their families. Oh, and it’s completely free! Contact us to join The HappiMe Club today. 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 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 Our First Coaching ConversationHello, you. How're things?
Welcome to HappiMe's latest blog, 'Conversations with Your Coach'. Since this is new to us all, I thought I would explain a little bit about what to expect. My name is Abby and I am the lead children's coach and therapist here at HappiMe, and each week I will be having an informal chat on this thread; offering support, coaching and mentoring to you and your family. You can expect discussions on mental health, goal setting, boosting confidence... And everything in between. We'll 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 |
AuthorEach week, HappiMe's Lead Children's Coach, Abby, shares her advice on a new topic.
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