The Mental and Physical Toll on Parents of Children with Autism
1. Make sure you make some time for yourself before bed at night or in the morning before you start the day to have quiet time or time to do breathing exercises and relax before you start your day or retire to bed…maybe a shower and a cup of tea before bed.
2. Make sure you make time to just get away for lunch or an errand alone once a week, if possible. Alone time is important.. Be sure you take out time for yourself. When you refuel, replenish your spirit, you are also extending that to your child.
3. Mental exhaustion comes in waves where you can be in the middle of a storm. They can be unexpected and last a while. If you have anyone who can give you a break or extra support, lean on them, recharge your batteries.
4. Do some things for yourself if you were able to pass the care of your child off to a husband or a babysitter by all means try to do that even if it’s only for a couple of hours but you do need some downtime because this is one of the hardest jobs you’re ever going to do.
5. I have been feeling overwhelmed this week. It’s a mental burn out… Sometimes you just need to switch off !
6. Sometimes the bad days feel like they outweigh the good. What I do is go through my photographs, happy memories and moments… I try to focus on the happy moments.
7. No one is perfect and it’s ok to have a bad day. Just remember it’s not forever.
