Parent/Carer Support
How can we help you?
It is vitally important that as a parent or carer that your mental wellbeing is looked after so that you can provide the best support for your child(ren) if required. On this page you will find support services for your own mental wellbeing along with some routines you can try at home to ensure that your mental health remains a priority as well as some tips to support your child.
Why do I need to look after my mental health as a parent or carer?
Sometimes, having poor mental health can affect a parent's ability to provide the best care for their child. A parent or carer may:
Have mood swings with extreme highs or lows which could be confusing for your child
Find it difficult to recognise your child's needs
Struggle with keeping routines such as mealtimes, bedtimes and taking your children to school
Mental health quick tips to support your child
Talk openly about mental health
It is important that mental health is not stigmatised for your child and so one of the best things to do is to be open and honest about mental health and to take it seriously. Just as you might encourage them to eat fruit and vegetables to keep physically healthy, talking about the importance of looking after your mental health is just as essential.
Model good habits
Children will often copy the actions of those they trust and look up to. If you are taking good care of your own mental health, then it is a lot easier for your child to see what this looks like and replicate this behaviour for themselves.
Think about both your phone usage and theirs
There are a lot of studies around the impact phone usage has on mental health. Although social media usage and mental health is less known, what we do know is that phone usage before going to bed can have a detrimental effect on the quality of your sleep and therefore have a knock-on effect to your mental health. Consider limiting the use of phones before going to bed in order to give yourself and your child(ren) the best chance at a quality night of sleep.
Notice any changes in your child's behaviour
Sometimes, young people don't feel comfortable or confident in expressing how they feel verbally and instead display their emotions in a different way. Being able to distinguish between normal behaviour for your child and noticing when things change could be a sign that they are struggling with their mental health.
Listen and empathise with your child
For a child, knowing that someone is there to support them can go a long way in allowing a child to fully open up about how they are feeling. Empathy in particular connects people as it involves acknowledging what your child is feeling, trying to understand things from their point of view and not judging them in any way. It is vital that during the time that your child is sharing how they are feeling, that you do not interrupt or assume anything. Allow your child to tell you the situation.
Use activities you do together to have conversations about how they are doing
Doing an activity that both you and your child enjoy can help start a conversation around mental health as it distracts from the initial 'awkwardness' that your child may feel. It could be that you discuss how your child is feeling whilst baking, walking or watching TV as just a few examples.
Let them know that struggling sometimes is normal and nothing to be ashamed of
Letting your child know that EVERYONE has mental health, whether that be good or bad mental health, and that it fluctuates depending upon events that happen in life is normal is a good way to support your child. Even more importantly, identifying when your child is experiencing poor mental health and your child feels comfortable and able to discuss this is a BRAVE thing to do and reassuring them of this is another great way to support your child.
Looking after your own mental health
Take time out
Life can be stressful at the best of times but it is important that you take time out and appreciate the things around you. It might be that you decide to go for a walk, do some cooking or simply just read a book. Give yourself some personal time away from the things that stress you out. You will find that you feel more relaxed when you return to the daily tasks and complete them more efficiently.
Exercise
Although you may be thinking where on earth you can fit exercising in to your busy schedule, it is massively important to consider exercising if you don't do this already. The benefits of exercising on your mental health are well-documented and so trying to do 30 minutes of exercise each day can help maintain positive mental wellbeing. Click on the link HERE to find some home workout routines you can do to get you started!
Sleep well
Sleep issues are quite a common cause of poor mental health and so it is a good idea to ensure that you maintain a regular sleeping pattern and that you set your room up to give you the best quality night of sleep. Click on the link HERE to find out more about how you can improve your quality of sleep.
Speak up
If you find that your mental health is suffering for long periods of time then it is best to speak up and seek professional help from your GP or, at the very least, speak to a trusted friend who can offer you support. Suffering in silence can only deteriorate your mental health and so when you spot that you are not quite yourself, seek help.
