My article about: Worrying about trying to be a good parent when suffering
with a mental illness.
Mental Health is an even tougher struggle when you become a
parent. It can mean feeling the loneliest you’ve ever felt before but trying so
hard to stay positive to get through every day for your child’s sake. I
suffered/suffer with mental health issues and have done for six years now and I
say suffered/suffer because I believe it can switch on and off constantly
throughout life.
However I have learnt to deal with my issues very well and by myself. I taught myself how to control my emotions and what to do when I can’t cope, and how to deal with them tough days. I knew I was the only one that could help me after continuous visits to all different Councillors. So I just did it and I’m so glad at where I am today. I am now a single parent, however, and I definitely do struggle and am noticing the bad days coming back a lot more than usual. I am also having to try extremely hard to remember all the mind tricks I taught myself and to do activities that make me feel better, but some days I do feel the “giving up” emotion a lot and just want to quit. I came off my medication (anti-depressant) when I became pregnant and it felt like the best achievement ever. But, when I’m really struggling and frustration and stress gets the better of me, I have to think of my daughter and that makes me feel more under pressure to feel better, and some days I just feel like I will have a mental breakdown because I’m trying so hard. I think being a parent is even harder with an on/off mental illness that creeps up on you. I constantly worry about trying to be the happiest I can be for my daughter’s sake because I don’t want her to see me suffer, and I don’t want her to have to suffer from the same illness’s. However just even hearing from my family or friends that, “It's ok don’t stress about the future, just take each day as it comes, and always ask for help when you need it and we will be there,” just makes everything feel a hundred times easier. Asking for help is hard but with my amazing family by my side I can’t thank them enough for helping me out so much. It just feels like a weight is lifted of your shoulder when they help you out and you can clear your head and mind for a while. Even if they just say, “I’ll take her for a bit you sit down and have a rest,” is just so appreciated because it just relaxes your mind and calms you down for a while. Even when my mum approaches me with a, “are you alright?” question and gives me a hug, and I then break down in tears and tell her all my problems, just makes me feel a hundred times better afterwards. Opening up and not bottling up is the best advice I could ever give! You just have to try and be the best you can be in all kinds of situations. When I see my baby girl smiling at me it gives me so much strength and happiness inside that just makes me feel so warm and loved. I am confident that we can live a happy future together and eventually, one day, beat mental illnesses and become strong-minded people.
However I have learnt to deal with my issues very well and by myself. I taught myself how to control my emotions and what to do when I can’t cope, and how to deal with them tough days. I knew I was the only one that could help me after continuous visits to all different Councillors. So I just did it and I’m so glad at where I am today. I am now a single parent, however, and I definitely do struggle and am noticing the bad days coming back a lot more than usual. I am also having to try extremely hard to remember all the mind tricks I taught myself and to do activities that make me feel better, but some days I do feel the “giving up” emotion a lot and just want to quit. I came off my medication (anti-depressant) when I became pregnant and it felt like the best achievement ever. But, when I’m really struggling and frustration and stress gets the better of me, I have to think of my daughter and that makes me feel more under pressure to feel better, and some days I just feel like I will have a mental breakdown because I’m trying so hard. I think being a parent is even harder with an on/off mental illness that creeps up on you. I constantly worry about trying to be the happiest I can be for my daughter’s sake because I don’t want her to see me suffer, and I don’t want her to have to suffer from the same illness’s. However just even hearing from my family or friends that, “It's ok don’t stress about the future, just take each day as it comes, and always ask for help when you need it and we will be there,” just makes everything feel a hundred times easier. Asking for help is hard but with my amazing family by my side I can’t thank them enough for helping me out so much. It just feels like a weight is lifted of your shoulder when they help you out and you can clear your head and mind for a while. Even if they just say, “I’ll take her for a bit you sit down and have a rest,” is just so appreciated because it just relaxes your mind and calms you down for a while. Even when my mum approaches me with a, “are you alright?” question and gives me a hug, and I then break down in tears and tell her all my problems, just makes me feel a hundred times better afterwards. Opening up and not bottling up is the best advice I could ever give! You just have to try and be the best you can be in all kinds of situations. When I see my baby girl smiling at me it gives me so much strength and happiness inside that just makes me feel so warm and loved. I am confident that we can live a happy future together and eventually, one day, beat mental illnesses and become strong-minded people.
+Time to Change Campaign +SingleMums.Net
#smallthings #mentalhealth #mentalillness #singleparents #love #struggle #strength #change #happiness
No comments:
Post a Comment