Being a parent can be the most fulfilling and the most difficult mission that you ever undertake. The stresses and challenges of parenting can surface anxiety and other mental health challenges that you may have been able to manage in the past. Parenting is hard. Fortunately, you can access support and self-care practices that can help you cope.

Parents struggle to balance family, work, and emotional health

You’re a parent. It’s demanding. And, in parallel to your parenting role, you have a business or job that you need to take care of. You might have older parents that need your support. It’s no surprise that many parents feel exhausted, worn out, and pulled in different directions.

You would expect to get satisfaction from tireless effort and juggling responsibilities at work and at home. You might expect that bringing home a decent income would be enough. For most people, it isn’t enough. Providing for a family and taking care of kids too often drains away all of our time and energy.

Blaming yourself doesn’t help

Many parents experience periods of low energy, depression, anxiety, or uncertainty about how they are doing in their parental role. The demands of parenting just pile on top of other stressors from work and family and can become too much to handle.

Attributing your difficulty to your own weaknesses or deficiencies doesn’t help. Self-blame tends to make your challenges more difficult. In therapy, you can learn to address your challenges constructively while taking care of your own needs. If you don’t take care of yourself, you won’t be able to take care of your family!

Self-care

When we struggle, we know how important self-care is, but we might not be able to prioritize taking care of ourselves.

Your happiness, life satisfaction, and ability to parent effectively are directly affected by how well you take care of yourself. Someone who gets enough sleep, eats healthy meals, and exercises regularly is more likely to feel calmer and more focused than someone who doesn’t.

Life gets in the way of self-care

Parents who are overwhelmed by the reality of a demanding work schedule, helping with homework, getting kids to and from after school activities, helping aging parents, dealing with the complexity of blended families, or raising children with extra needs often don’t feel that they have the capacity to start investing in self-care. Over time, the strain can wear them down, making them feel like everything is too much to bear.

Self-care is not selfish. In fact, learning to attend to your own needs can be the best gift to your family. In therapy, you can get the help that you need to be the best parent possible.

Is an underlying mental health challenge getting in your way?

Some people seem to manage parenting challenges with less difficulty. Others have to muster tremendous strength just to get out of bed in the morning. We do know that emotional health is a key factor in effective parenting. The more balanced and confident that you are, the more likely you are to cope with family and work challenges.

Having emotional health challenges is not your fault and doesn’t mean that you can’t be a great parent. Genetics and our own experiences (nature and nurture) play a significant role in how we feel and view the world – but they do not define our destiny. Professional support can help you shape how you react to stressors and can help you improve your everyday functioning.

Get life-changing help for your emotional health

Many people feel uncomfortable with the idea of “mental health” because they fear how a mental illness will reflect on them as a person. Unfortunately, this perspective can you from getting life-changing help.

40% of adults in Utah experience anxiety or depression

Mental health challenges are far more common than most people realize. Depression and anxiety are extremely common and significantly affect sufferers’ capacity to function effectively in everyday life. More than 40% of adults in Utah reported experiencing symptoms of depression or anxiety in 2021.

Anxiety and depression need to addressed in a practical way

Emotional health challenges can impact you and your family in very tangible ways. You may find it difficult to maintain a routine, get enough sleep and exercise, stay calm, or struggle with substances or behaviors. You may lose interest in activities that you used to enjoy or avoid social interactions, preferring to stay at home.

Low mood, lack of energy, insomnia, angry outbursts, feeling nervous or restless all of the time, or lack of motivation might indicate that you are struggling with depression or an anxiety disorder.

Each day that you and your family continues to suffer is unnecessary. Most mood disorders respond well to treatment.

Practical help for your parenting challenges

Many challenges experienced by your children or family as a whole have the potential to cause enormous stress for both parents and children. I use a parent consultation model that offers behavior management plans. I can help support you with:

• The sandwich years: raising children while also caring for aging parents.
• Single parenting and blended families.
• Advocating for special needs youth with a focus on helping you navigate school and community resources.
• Parenting adult children who have “failed to launch,” i.e., dropped out of high school or college and are not working. We can work on establishing boundaries and other support for you.

Confidential and professional help

Therapy can be highly effective to help you turn your live around. Having a support networks of family and friends is great, but it is not a substitute for a professional therapist who can leverage skills, insights, and practical coping skills that can help you make real changes. Many people report noticeable improvements after just a few sessions.

As you become more in control of your life, and feel better about yourself, you will be able to become a better parent.