How Mindfulness Helped Me Manage My Parenting Overwhelm
We're parents of neurodivergent kids, of course we're stressed and under pressure.
When resentment and burnout bubbled up, and I knew I couldn’t keep pretending I was okay.
Yoga and mindfulness had always helped me manage my anxiety. Then I became a parent. My practice completely disintegrated.
My son Ocean was the kind of baby who needed to be held upright and bounced most of the time. He was intense and I couldn’t tell what was upsetting him so much. I felt responsible for his challenges.
I was isolated, overwhelmed, and denying myself basic needs like sleep, movement, and nutrition. I expected myself to function calmly and kindly under extreme pressure without strategies or support.
There were so many aspects of parenting that were hard and unexpected that I was barely functioning.
It took a few years to get his first diagnosis, but Ocean started Physical Therapy through Early Intervention at just 13 months. I lost myself in the process of scheduling all the therapies, and trying to practice the exercises with him on our own.
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