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.  

It’s possible to work on having a closer relationship with your teen or young adult child even while they are struggling with issues. You don’t have to wait until their mental illness is more under control, until they stop using drugs, or until they are making the decisions for their life that you agree with.…

If you have a child who is struggling with mental illness or addiction, please do not blame yourself.  If your teen or young adult child chooses to stop taking their medications or self medicates with drugs, it is not your fault. And it is not your fault they became ill in the first place. It…

It may feel like your mentally ill teen or young adult child blames you for their illness, their problems, and whatever else is happening in their life. It may sometimes feel like they are so angry at you and even want to say hurtful things to you. But here is the thing to remember…this is…

When your teen or young adult has mental illness or addiction, one big thing you are going through is that life is much different than before.   Your child is much different than before. How they communicate, their moods, their expressions, their abilities.   Your relationship with them may be different too. Grieving the loss of how…

One of my favorite quotes is “where focus goes, energy flows” by Tony Robbins. I love it because it empowers me with the ability to choose whether I will experience more negativity or more positivity based on where my focus is.   That way, I can focus my attention on what I want more of. I…