You can help your teen or young adult child by helping yourself 

You can help your teen or young adult child by helping yourself. 

Maybe you are thinking you need to devote all of your energy to the challenges you are going through with your child.

But when you focus on your own self-love and self-care, you not only help your own emotional well-being, you also put yourself in the best position to help your child.

And this is especially true when you are dealing with struggles with your son’s or daughter’s mental illness or addiction.

Self-love and self-care allow you to:

• Accept yourself, the situation, and your child’s illness.

• Not blame yourself for the struggles, and not blame your child.

• Honor and prioritize your needs, which allows you to have a deeper understanding of your child’s needs.

• Lovingly accept all your emotions, and lovingly accept your child’s emotions.

• Not judge yourself, and not judge your child

• Stop speaking to yourself in an unloving way, and speak to your child in a more loving way

When you don’t have enough self-love, you may take things personally, be more critical of yourself and your child, and it is harder to give unconditionally.

Compassion and love for yourself helps you have more compassion for your child.

Loving yourself and prioritizing your emotional well-being is an important foundation step in your parenting journey.

Sending love and light,

Debbie