Topic Tuesday // Parenting with mental health challenges // Tues 15th Jan, 7pm AEDT

[BelleParentline]

Hey @CheerBear! 

So glad you had a good experience with Parentline 🙂 

And I agree with @Former-Member that sense of having to juggle can be tricky and something lots of parents can relate to I think. Especially when it comes to the day to day routines. 

[Former-Member]

🙂 @CheerBear @BelleParentline The day to day routines for sure can be jarring, it's most easy to become really hard on ourselves to throughout the process of recovery.

It is not uncommon amidst the presentation of our own mental health symptoms to feel overwhelmed by a sense of shame and guilt. Which is a good segway into question 2 😄

What are some other emotions that can be the most confronting whilst balancing parenting and recovery?

[Shaz51]

Hello @BelleParentline, @Former-Member

Hello @Determined, @CheerBear

[BelleParentline]

@Former-MemberConflicting and powerful emotions can certainly come up for us all. When they do, we can feel pretty destabilised. Once we can identify what we are feeling and why, we can process and move through them. Shame and guilt are significant emotions for so many parents, which can also tap into fear of judgement or stigma. Other significant emotions parents often describe is frustration or anger towards themselves, their situation, or for not ‘being better’. Some parents can feel they are the only ones struggling. While confronting and can take time to work through, these emotions are natural and you’re not alone in them.

[Former-Member]

@Shaz51 welcome 🙂 glad you could join

[CheerBear]

Definitely can be tricky with the day to day routines @BelleParentline and @Former-Member. Having kids in different stages of development throws a level of tricky in there also as they all seem to need such different things sometimes! Then add in different personalities etc and overwhelming is a good word to describe how it can feel!

As you mentioned Belle, that fear of judgement is a big one for me. I think that can be made more intense because of mental health challenges too. I have worried in the past that people will automatically assume I can't look after my kids because of my mental health.

Hey @Shaz51 🙂

[Shaz51]

Hello @BelleParentline, @Former-Member, @CheerBear

even though my 4 step children are all adults now , and they are all different in their own way xx

[BelleParentline]

@CheerBear@Former-Membersuch a good point about the different developmental stages. They can bring with them whole new challenges emotionally!

Thanks for sharing about that fear of judgement too. That is a big one for lots of parents. I can be hard (but so important) to remember the strength it takes to manage being a parent in addition to managing your own mental health. It takes strength, not weakness 🙂

[Former-Member]

Thanks for sharing 🙂 @Shaz51

[Former-Member]

Loving the insight 🙂 @BelleParentline 

Expanding on the last question…

How can we exercise compassion towards ourselves throughout the process of parenting and mental health recovery?