Are you Advocating for Your Needs?
As parents and guardians we always ensuring we advocate for the needs of our children. Are they getting their accommodation, are people supporting them, and is their need being seen. But here’s my question to you about you…. Are you advocating for what you need? Advocating is tiring, stressful and often emotional. You can only look afternoon else if you are looking after you as well! Today’s post is all about how to support your mental, physical and emotional self (I admit up front I sometimes, OK my husband will say often, am not good at this myself…. But I am trying).
What is self-care?
Google defines Self-care as “the practice of taking action to preserve or improve one’s own health”. It adds that is is the “practice of taking an active role in protecting one’s own well-being and happiness, in particular during periods of stress”. So how many of you parents, with or without children with needs, are good at that. I’ll stand tall and tell you I haven’t always been or I’ve gone through phases where I do well and then I fall off and revert back. As parents we want to give our kids everything we’ve got and sometimes, just sometimes, that involves giving them all of us. But just like a candle burning on a birthday cake, the candle can only last so long, at some point it will go out. My question do to you dear parents is what happens when it does? I know what happens to myself personally, I become an emotional wreck and everything seems like it’s on fire.
So today I’ll share with you a few ideas, some I’ve tried and some I would like to try.
This weeks focus is on self-care.
So you ask “what things can I do to look after myself?” Well there are the obvious ones, working out, meditation, getting more sleep and eating right. But then there are a whole host of other ideas of things that help to ensure you take care of yourself. For example:
Getting out of the house ALONE. How often you really get outside of the house away from kids. Just go for coffee down the stress. Go for a walk.
Chatting with a close friend. Do you have a friend you can confide in, a friend you can meet once in a while that gives you energy?
Do something nice for yourself. For example buy yourself flowers or go get your nails done? Maybe you want to just drink you coffee hot so you find a time to do that. It doesn’t have to be big!
Read a book. When was the last time you were able to sit and read a book.
Control the remote (LOL). Maybe there’s a show you really want to watch so say so.
Taking care of yourself doesn’t have to be some huge thing like joining a gym or going on an expensive trip. It should however, but something that brings you joy, builds you up and allows to feel happy and healthy.
I said it at the beginning of this weeks blog post. I am not good at looking after me as I feel guilt for not ensuring my family has me there. Then I remember the times I fell apart because I was so busy advocating for what my kids needed I forgot about what I needed. I got lost. One afternoon I was out on my back porch, so my kids couldn’t hear me crying, calling my husband saying I was done. The straw had broken me and I had to change something. So twice a week a look for something that brings me joy, fills my cup and keeps me going. They are small, but they have a huge impact on me.
What little thing are you going to do today that can build you up? I challenge my readers this week to do one thing that brings them joy and allows them be selfish and think only of themselves. Not an easy thing to do when we spend so much time fighting for what our kids need.
You can only help them if you can care for yourself.
So what will you do this week? Take a walk, read a book, or call a friend. It doesn’t have to some huge thing, but a little thing to keep fighting for that kid who has all the potential in the world be anything they want to be!
A reminder that if you haven’t already gotten your FREE IEP BINDER ORGANIZER send me an email and I’ll send it your way!
Also wondering how you can get some help in advocating for your son or daughter? Book a FREE 15 consultation. Lets talk, I bet I can help.
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