Archive for August 2022

When you hear the word boundaries, do you think of something harsh? Do you feel if you set boundaries with your teen or adult child that you will have to hold back your loving emotions in order to stick to your boundaries? If you answered yes to these questions, let’s work on changing your views…

I am beyond excited that I finished the manuscript for my book I am writing on my journey of the love and loss of my son through his mental illness and addiction and I have officially given it to the editor to begin getting it ready for publishing!  Life does not always give us what…

Sometimes it’s easy to put things off… you may reason with yourself “I can work on this later, time will help resolve this issue, I will figure this out later, I don’t have the resources.”  And before you know it, later has turned into weeks, months, even years where nothing has changed. You are still…

Part of finding peace in your life is accepting your own limitations of not being able to fix your teen or young adult child’s mental illness or addiction. As a parent, you may think you should be able to fix or control what happens with your son or daughter. You may see yourself as responsible…

If you feel stressed during interactions with your teen or young adult child and it seems like you are fighting against each other when it comes to their mental illness or addiction, you are not alone.  Often they do not see things the same way you do. You start off on the same side… both…

If your teen or young adult is suffering from mental illness or addiction, acceptance is integral to finding peace in your life. Why? If your child is struggling with something, this means it is already happening. It is the current reality.  Until you accept what is happening, your brain continues to fight against it. You…

In this podcast episode James Lumumba and I discuss mental illness and addiction in teens/young adults and my story with my son.  SPOTIFY: https://open.spotify.com/episode/2242pedOY3lYWDk31CDvkG?si=eec3b453514a4f39 ITUNES: https://podcasts.apple.com/ie/podcast/losing-my-son-to-addiction-with-debbie-gail/id1583988945?i=1000575261447 ONLINE: https://www.podpage.com/dontbeafraidtotalkpodcast/

When your child has mental illness or addiction, you may feel there is no other way than to feel in a constant state of stress. Maybe you have even become accustomed to it and so this state feels very familiar. Stress can be very damaging to your own health. And it can create an emotional…

Have you found the best way to communicate with your teen or young adult child?  I know sometimes this can feel frustrating.