Part 1: Is this You?
This video blog is the first in a three part series. Part 1, Is This You?, starts with an assessment for parents of their current stress level, physical health, emotional symptoms, and daily challenges regarding stress level and stress related illnesses.
Parent Stress Level Assessment
1) Stress Level: 0 – 10
0 is no stress and 10 is the highest possible stress
2) Physical Symptoms
- Upset stomach
- Headaches
- Feeling drained
- Insomnia
- Difficulty getting out of bed in the morning
- Muscle tension
- Weight gain or Weight loss
3) Emotional Symptoms
- Difficulty focusing
- Feelings of sadness and/or hopelessness when you think of your child
- Feeling anxious or panic throughout the day
- “Worried Sick”
- Reliving past traumatic events regarding your child’s mental illness
- Looking for ways to “fix” your child
- Feeling alone without any understanding or support
4) Daily Challenges
- Avoiding family and friends because they don’t understand or because it is getting too painful to discuss
- Trouble at work or working in general
- Lack of self-care
- Spending most of your time and energy looking for treatment options for your child (ie counseling, educational accommodations, disability advocates, neuropsych tests, holistic treatments, just to name a few) that are wearing you out
- Strain in your marriage
- Your other children feeling uncared for or left out
- Inability to do the things you did to take care of yourself: exercise, meditate, yoga, nature walks, eat healthy. You fill in the blank. “I used to be able to ________________ to keep myself healthy and now I just can’t”
- No joy or peace in your day
- Health issues due to stress
5) Score Your Results
1 for each symptom
Total of 5 or greater indicates increased likelihood of stress and stress-related illness
If you or a loved one is a parent of a child with mental illness, please share this blog series. Parenting a Child with Mental Illness Part2 will offer some stress-reduction tips to get started. Please contact me, Carol Soldevilla LICSW if you would like to get more information or signup for a Stress Reduction Group.
Read more about our Stress Reduction Group for Parents.