You are more than your pain. Your child is more than their illness.

Last night I had a great conversation on my show.  One thing we discussed is that you are not your pain, that this is not your identity.  

When you are a parent of a teen or adult child with mental illness or addiction, this is so important to remember in regard to yourself and your child.

Your identity is not that of a parent who has a child with mental illness or addiction.  You may have a child with these things and you may be in a great amount of pain over it, but that is not your identity.  You are so much more than that.  

Your child is not their illness or their addiction.  Who they are is different from what they do, choices they make, illnesses they suffer from.  They are so much more than their illness or addiction.  

If you allow these things to become your identity, your experiences will be limited by this identity and you will miss out on the whole person your child is and the whole person you are. 

If you are looking for coaching support on your journey as a parent of a son or daughter with mental illness or addiction or in your journey of grief after losing your child, I am here to help.  To learn more, the link is in the comments.

Sending love and light,

Debbie