€¦ And it shouldn't be YOUR TIME!
I think we can all agree that when we are feeling well and are in a positive mood we are much more productive and our end results are dramatically improved. So it makes sense to ensure that YOU are looked after so that you can continue to be your best and help everyone in your family, including yourself, reach their full potential.
What does looking after you involve? Well this might differ for each person but you must ensure that you are covering the basics. This will include healthy nutritious regular meals, enough sleep, and a clean, safe and comfortable home. For many families I work with it also means taking time out for yourself to do something non-autism related.
Being a parent is hard work. Being a parent of a child with a disability can be even more challenging and so that is why it is crucial that you are on top form as often as possible to be able to deliver, care for and help your child develop to achieve the best quality of life they can have. If you need some time out make sure that you get it, whether it is 15 minutes or a full weekend, it needs to be regular and not when you feel you just can't take any more!
Often in my work, I see parents heading towards burnout, or arriving to me already burned out! When parents are overscheduled and living a fast paced life it could eventually lead to 'burn out'! You may have experienced this already, some of the signs of 'burn out' are; needing sugar and caffeine to keep you going through the day, feeling exhausted, stressed and tired all the time, possibly leading to depression, feeling negative about things, feeling ill or being ill frequently, immune system is low therefore the body is feeling or acting run down (poor skin, hair loss, boils, spots, tummy upset etc). Listen to your body, as it's telling you it needs to slow down to continue. A common issue with families is where parent(s) spend a lot of their time acting as a chauffeur going from one place to the next and not getting enough quality time with their child to build their relationship and progress. It is important to factor in time for yourself, all children, and your partner and as a family. Sometimes, schedules need de-cluttering and prioritising to get the most out of each day successfully.
Checklists:
Are you heading towards burn out?
- Been ill more than twice in one year
- Body signs telling you its run down
- Feeling exhausted
- Feeling tired most of the time
- Feeling stressed and anxious
Do you need to reschedule the family?
- Spend too much time driving about
- You and/ or child has too much screen time
- You don't have quality time with your child(ren) every day
- You can't remember the last time you/ and partner went out/ did something you wanted to do.
What are you going to do differently to make sure that you look after you
I think we can all agree that when we are feeling well and are in a positive mood we are much more productive and our end results are dramatically improved. So it makes sense to ensure that YOU are looked after so that you can continue to be your best and help everyone in your family, including yourself, reach their full potential.
What does looking after you involve? Well this might differ for each person but you must ensure that you are covering the basics. This will include healthy nutritious regular meals, enough sleep, and a clean, safe and comfortable home. For many families I work with it also means taking time out for yourself to do something non-autism related.
Being a parent is hard work. Being a parent of a child with a disability can be even more challenging and so that is why it is crucial that you are on top form as often as possible to be able to deliver, care for and help your child develop to achieve the best quality of life they can have. If you need some time out make sure that you get it, whether it is 15 minutes or a full weekend, it needs to be regular and not when you feel you just can't take any more!
Often in my work, I see parents heading towards burnout, or arriving to me already burned out! When parents are overscheduled and living a fast paced life it could eventually lead to 'burn out'! You may have experienced this already, some of the signs of 'burn out' are; needing sugar and caffeine to keep you going through the day, feeling exhausted, stressed and tired all the time, possibly leading to depression, feeling negative about things, feeling ill or being ill frequently, immune system is low therefore the body is feeling or acting run down (poor skin, hair loss, boils, spots, tummy upset etc). Listen to your body, as it's telling you it needs to slow down to continue. A common issue with families is where parent(s) spend a lot of their time acting as a chauffeur going from one place to the next and not getting enough quality time with their child to build their relationship and progress. It is important to factor in time for yourself, all children, and your partner and as a family. Sometimes, schedules need de-cluttering and prioritising to get the most out of each day successfully.
Checklists:
Are you heading towards burn out?
- Been ill more than twice in one year
- Body signs telling you its run down
- Feeling exhausted
- Feeling tired most of the time
- Feeling stressed and anxious
Do you need to reschedule the family?
- Spend too much time driving about
- You and/ or child has too much screen time
- You don't have quality time with your child(ren) every day
- You can't remember the last time you/ and partner went out/ did something you wanted to do.
What are you going to do differently to make sure that you look after you