Recovering Family Sanity

Mother raising troubled child ”My son has worn me out so much that I'm getting sick more often, and I'm starting to not even like him anymore. This is bad. I've really got to start taking better care of myself or I'm of no use to anyone, especially him.“

Take Care of Yourself

The task you face right now may require superhuman backbone and discipline, and saintly patience and forgiveness. You are about to run a 1000 mile marathon, row across an ocean, climb a mountain, but you are starting out stressed and exhausted. You must set aside non-critical life demands and take care of yourself first so you can be emotionally and physically strong and pull off this job of parenting a mentally or emotionally troubled child.

What works to ease stress?

Do something that makes you happy, indulge in a little treat, and be selfish for a moment!
Find someone who doesn’t judge you, and call or visit when you’ve had a really bad day to share your feelings.
Ask friends for hugs or a joke.
Read a book that helps you escape your reality for a while.
Take a vacation, even if it’s brief.
See a therapist for yourself, to learn ways to cope and feel better about yourself.
Consider the use of an antidepressant for up to 8 months until your brain readjusts before considering tapering off.

Make a list of your highest priorities

You cannot be drained by things that aren’t absolutely necessary. Your problems are too numerous to solve all at once, so limit your energies to the highest priorities in your life and take one step at a time. Your priorities should be, in this order:

YOU!
Your main support persons or relationships
Your other family members, especially other children
Your income and other basic necessities
Hope