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Juggling parenting and working can be a tough task to manage and can be mentally exhausting. While it can seem overbearing and impossible, we are here to tell you that YOU CAN DO IT! You can make progress and feel good about it. After a long stressful week of fussing at the children and balancing a heavy workload, here are 10 TIPS to help you DESTRESS. Let us JUMP IN!

Write out a schedule for the following week with 30-minute blocked times. Coming soon!

By: Dr. Naeema Burgess, MS, Diplomate-ABSNP

Autism can seem daunting in the beginning. Especially if you have no one to guide you and explain to you the diagnosis, supports, or where to turn for therapy.

First and foremost, THERE IS NOTHING YOU DID TO CAUSE THIS. So, stop beating yourself up.

Secondly, you must remember that you are a person, and individual, first. It is imperative that you set aside some time to be alone EACH and EVERY day. Whether it is putting your child to bed at 7 pm and taking a long bubble bath, or waking up 30 minutes earlier to meditate ALONE: YES! NO ONE ELSE BUT YOU.

Next, you want to ensure that you know the supports that your city and state offer at no cost to you, such as respite services, because you want to have a moment each week where you can leave your home and be ALONE. It can be as simple as standing on the porch or sitting on your balcony or going for a walk. States like New York and California offer parents of children with autism these supports and much more. Do your due diligence and research the supports in your state.

As a parent of a child with autism, lastly, it is important to get connected with parents like yourself. They will have answers and they will be able to provide comfort, as you will provide to them. Here at Giving Hope, we provide a private community for you and your family to join and receive supports from clinicians in the field and myself. You will be able to converse with other parents like yourself, get answers to hard questions, and see how others faired in similar situations. Subscribe to our Understanding Autism Community. Professionals subscribe here to connect, share, grow, and learn as well.

Life is manageable when you are the parent of a child with autism. Be open to receiving supports. Your child, yourself, and your family will benefit from this.

By: Dr. Naeema Burgess, MS, Diplomate-ABSNP

Did you complete all the tasks for today that you needed to get done? Are you holding on to what you did not complete from the day? Are you nervous about what to expect at work tomorrow? Are you concerned with how your child will perform tomorrow in class? Are you in fear of whether or not you will get another phone call from your child’s school during one of your most major presentations at work tomorrow? Having thoughts that continue to run in your mind can cause a lot of stress and anxiety before going to bed. This can prevent you from resting well and prevents your body and brain from receiving the proper replenishment needed in order to be fully charged for the next day. This can weigh heavily on your health causing unwanted and unnecessary ailments.

So, how is this anxiety combated? STOP! Start with, did I do everything that I knew I could do in order to complete tasks for today, ensure that my child is on track with their behaviors by collaborating with the school on a positive behavior support plan, or prepare for my presentation for tomorrow? IF* you have done all that you can do to manage whatever your concerns are, it is time to STOP your brain. How? How to stop your brain:

Cell Phone Turned OFF: Yes, turn your cell phone off and get it out of your bedroom. If you use it for an alarm clock, invest in an actual alarm clock. If you use it for your Bible in the morning, invest in a physical Bible.
Create Tranquility in your bedroom: Turn off all lights and electronics. YES!!! INCLUDING the television. The only thing that you should be playing is a noise machine or a mindfulness relaxation audio (If you need a personalized audio, please contact my office).
Get Quiet and Still: Take 10 minutes to get quiet and still. Allow no interruptions. Discuss with your family the importance of this ahead of time. Breathe. Yes, Breathe. In for a count of 5 and out, for a count of 5. Focus on your body and do a scan of EVERY part of your body. Just focus on breathing and doing a mental scan of your body from head to toe ensuring that each part of your body is FULLY relaxed.
Rest Well!

If you have followed the steps, you should be sleeping by now. Please comment on how effective this was for you. Do this daily. Should you need additional supports, do not hesitate to contact our office.

By: Dr. Naeema Burgess, MS, Diplomate-ABSNP

In managing big changes, one has to first determine an order of priority. Prioritize everything in your life in an order that makes sense to you. Focus on what makes sense to you and put things in order based on how to get to where you want to go in your future. Whether it is in relationships, with your child, with your career, with your child’s education, or managing your child’s behaviors.

Once you have developed your priority order, look at your schedule. Figure out how much time you can put toward your list of priorities. Once you know how much time you can work with, start time blocking. Block out time specific to your list of priorities, giving more time to those items that are at the top of your list.

Once you have done this, set goals for your list of priorities. Each goal should have an end result and a deadline. Then, turn your goal over from a big hurdle to smaller hurdles, setting checkpoints by date, which will get you closer to your finished goal as you get closer to the deadline. Now, take action.

During your blocked-out times, work on only what you decided you would work on in the time that you allotted. For example, if one of your goals is to spend more time with your family given a new schedule and you have mapped out time just for family time, turn off your cell phone, and do just that; spend quality time with your family. Laugh with your family, take out a board game, discuss feelings, discuss the day and what went well versus what could have gone better. This is a sure way to effectively manage changes within your life!

By: Dr. Naeema Burgess, MS, Diplomate-ABSNP

Estamos aquí para ayudarlo a usted y a su familia. Lea nuestros recursos en español.

Como padres, queremos poder ayudar a nuestros hijos cuando se enfrentan a emociones o comportamientos desafiantes. Obtener información confiable y clara es el primer paso para poder ayudarlos. Lea nuestros recursos en español sobre salud mental, desafíos del aprendizaje y tipos de tratamientos para poder apoyar mejor a sus hijos.

The Child Mind

The Child Mind Institute’s ‘Getting Better Together’ campaign showcased on Good Morning America. https://childmind.org/gettingbettertogether/