As a caregiver, you want what is best for your child, learning that they are struggling with their mental health can be incredibly difficult. It is important to recognize how to care for yourself and to remember to care for yourself while navigating your child’s mental health.

Taking care of yourself

Understand how stress affects you

  • Stress affects your entire body, learn to recognize your signs of stress to best support those around you.

Recharge yourself

  • Learn to take time for yourself without feeling guilty, even if it is a short amount of time, it is important.

Educate yourself

  • Educating yourself about your loved ones mental health can help you feel prepared and lessen your stress surrounding supporting them.

Protect your Physical Health

  • Exercise- Exercise takes many forms, incorporating exercise you enjoy into your daily life can help reduce stress.

  • Eat well- Eating well and remembering to eat is important in taking care of yourself.

  • Sleep- Getting enough sleep can help reduce stress.

  • Relaxation exercises- Deep breathing, meditation, and other relaxation exercises can help reduce stress and increase your ability to think clearly when caring for others.

Practice Positive Self Care

  • Avoid guilt- Avoid feeling guilty about negative emotions. Talk to yourself the way you would talk to those you love.

  • Notice positive moments- When supporting others it is easy to focus on negative things, try finding small positive moments to hold on to.

  • Enjoy time- Spend time doing things you enjoy whether it is spending time alone or connecting with others. Finding time to do things you enjoy is important to practicing self care.

Find support in others

  • Talking about a loved ones mental health can be hard, but allowing other people in to support you is important.

  • Educate others about a loved ones mental illness if you need help caring for them. If you are feeling burned out in caring for someone, others can help. It is important they understand how to help and how to support you. You do not have to care for someone on your own.

Mental Health Care for yourself

Often learning of a family members mental health struggles can bring up struggles you are experiencing. If you find that you may need support for yourself please reach out to a mental health professional.

Know you are not alone, many families have a loved one struggling with their mental health. Many communities have support groups for caregivers. Looking at your local NAMI website, contacting a faith organization, or a mental health provider may help you find local support groups.