Becoming the parent you truly want to be begins with taking care of YOU. In this episode of Autism Parenting Secrets, we discuss the importance of parents caring for themselves. Many parents of a child with autism focus on only their child and ignore their own self-care. Often, they’ve been carrying around detrimental mindsets and beliefs that work against the progress they are trying to make. 

 

Don’t let that be you. Self-care is not selfish. Actually, the opposite is true. The better you care for your own wellbeing the better you’ll be able to show up for your child. 

 

Early on in our journey, we believed self-care was optional. We developed a sort of Hero complex and thought any time not focused on our son was a waste. This led to burnout and stress for not only us but our son Ry as well. When we realized that our efforts were doing more harm than help we knew we needed to make a change. And we got creative with it!

 

Sometimes self-care looks like a thirty-minute phone conversation with a friend or even sneaking in a quick shower before bed. The point is, it is so important that you carve out intentional time for yourself. This allows you the time to recharge and refresh so you can handle whatever comes your way.

 

We firmly believe in being calm WARRIORS opposed to worriers and taking time for ourselves helps us do just that. Tune into this week’s episodes for some tips and encouragement so that you too can show up as the best version of you for yourself and your family. 

 

Key Takeaways

 

• Prioritizing your self-care isn’t selfish (2:00)
• There is a difference between responding and reacting (4:30)
• Self-care starts with your mindset (9:20)
• You have to schedule your time  (12:02)
• Get creative with your self-care (15:00)
• Calm warrior vs worrier (20:39)
• Really take the time to examine your beliefs (23:00)