3 Self-Care Tips to Rejuvenate Parents of Special Needs Kids

As a parent of a child who is differently abled, you already have your hands full. Along with your own unique responsibilities, you also have your own set of stressors and rewards. Emotional strength, persistence, and a bit of resourcefulness are required. You have the same innate drive to nurture, protect, and empower your child as parents of kids who don’t have challenges.

As you look for information and support to best advocate for your child with disabilities, you may feel discouraged, hurt, alone, and left out. Throw in a little grief and anger and you have a melting pot of emotions you may have to deal with at any moment. For these reasons, parents of special needs kids need to have a plan in place that speaks to their own self-care.

When my son received his diagnosis, I dove head-first into learning all I could about autism, special education, and any services he might have needed. I forgot about taking care of myself. He was seven years old before I bought myself anything new or asked for any type of help. I was as run-down on the outside as I was on the inside.

It’s as important for parents of children with special needs to engage in self-care as it is for any parent.

Below are three ways you can prioritize self-care.

Find your joy:

Do things you enjoy. You spend so much time researching and advocating for your child that it’s easy to forget your own well-being. Find ways to renew, relax, and recharge. Find ways to have fun. Watch a movie you like. Read a book (my go-to). Take a bath. Meditate. The name of the game is downtime. The calmer and more relaxed you are, the better able you’ll be to be there for your special child. Spend a few minutes making a list of activities you enjoy if you had the time. Then make the time.

Ask for help and support:

Reach out to family, friends, and professionals. Tap into support groups and your faith or spiritual community. Find people who share similar experiences because they will understand when you’re feeling disconnected. When my son was little, there were no other parents, or very few, who looked like me. That didn’t stop me, though. I attended monthly support group meetings where I surrounded myself with parents who I could talk to about issues I was having related to school or community resources. In these groups, I received advice and a shoulder to lean on.

Use your resources:

One of the least used resources available to parents of children with disabilities is RESPITE. It took me a long time to be okay with sending my child off with someone else so I could take a nap or take a shower or do homework. I was a single parent working full-time and taking classes.) I was trapped in the mentality that I had to do it all myself. I don’t want that for you. You don’t have to travel this journey alone. The resources are there for you to use as needed.  

My son is an adult now. He is a fine young man because I did everything in my power to advocate for him – at the expense of my own self-care. I see that now and I want to help you realize the importance of taking care of yourself as you advocate for your special child.

For more tips and tricks about self-care and positivity,
join my Facebook group A Cup of Positivity.