The ADHD Smarter Parenting‘s Podcast
Kids & Family:Parenting
In episode 21, ADHD Parenting coach, Siope Kinikini, talks about ADHD and caretaker fatigue.
Caretaker fatigue is real, especially when parenting an ADHD child as they have so much energy. Having to be always “on” to deal with all that energy can be draining-emotionally, physically, mentally. Being “on” will eventually take its toll, so it’s important for parents to avoid the ADHD burn-out by practicing self-care.
Many parents feel guilty for practicing self-care, but practicing self-care is not selfish.
If you don’t feel like you have time to practice self-care, that is exactly when you need to. We know finding the time to practice self-care between school, work, family, and extracurricular activities are hard, and adding one more thing to the plate may seem overwhelming. But when you are operating at half-capacity, it becomes harder to deal with their behaviors.
By taking care of yourself first, you have the ability to provide the best care for your child, which we know is what you want to do.
Our first recommendation for self-care is to find someone you can talk to and who will listen. Whether that is a support group for parents of ADHD child, a family member, or a friend, whomever you choose, make sure they will listen without giving a lot of opinions, and only when you ask for it.
Our second recommendation for self-care is to take a break and find something that rejuvenates you. It doesn’t need to be time-intensive or requires a lot of stuff. It could be making yourself a cup of tea, a bubble bath, reading a book, take a short break, or take a nap.
Taking a break doesn’t have to happen just once a day. You can set up small breaks throughout the day.
Our third recommendation is to get enough sleep. Without sleep, your ability to help your child is greatly diminished as you have nothing to give them.
Our fourth recommendation is to have regular check-ups with your doctor. Being an ADHD mom is hard and regularly checking in with your doctor allows you to evaluate your mood and what is going on. This is one area where we tend to be terrible at. We take our kids to the doctors, but often we put off going ourselves.
We encourage you this week to find a few ways that you can add self-care and avoid ADHD and caretaker fatigue and ADHD burnout.
If you have any great self-care ideas that you’d like to share with other ADHD parents, please send us a message. Smarterparenting@smarterparenting.com
Ep #132: Helping a child calm down from a tantrum
Ep #131: Creating a safe place for kids to talk about hard topics
Ep #130: This is not what I signed up for | When ADHD symptoms aren't textbook
Ep #129: Why you're seeing increased negative behaviors
Ep #128: Neurodiversity and helping kids who learn differently
Ep #127: When you love your child but don't always like your child
Ep #126: Why kids see time differently
Ep #125: The skills are solutions
Ep #124: The difference between coaching and therapy
Ep #123: How to talk to your kids about racism and other difficult topics
Ep #122: Special education and the law with Catherine Michael
Ep #121: It's okay not to be okay
Ep #120: Coping with pandemic exhaustion and changing needs
Ep #119: Creating normalcy when things feel uncertain
Bonus episode: In difficult times, seek out the helpers
Ep #118: When a child's negative behavior affects the whole family
Ep #117: I am not the parent I thought I would be
Ep #116: Using Effective Communication to build deeper connections
Ep #115: Working with organizations that help victims of human trafficking
Ep #114: Helping kids focus and stay on task
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