Parenting is HARD. It's stressful. It can make you angry, depressed, and mentally exhausted. Mental health experts offer strategies for handling negative thoughts, even when kids are around.
Try Sensory Activities - Take off your shoes and walk barefoot outside. Or splash cold water on your face. Or squeeze your daughter's stuffed narwhal. These sensory activities take you out of your thoughts and bring you back into your body.
Show Yourself Compassion - Ask yourself: Would I let someone treat my kids the way I'm treating myself?
Normalize Your Feelings - Remind yourself that it's OK to want a break from your child or look forward to their bedtime or miss your old life. It doesn't mean you love them any less.
Phone a Friend - Chances are, you know someone who has felt what you're feeling now. Ask them to share a strategy that worked for them, or just vent. (Texting works too.)
Find or Create a Peaceful Spot - Wear Air Pods when the volume of your kids threatens to flareup your anxiety or depression. Try a meditation app or five minutes of reading, even if you need to hide in the laundry room to do it.
Take 10 Deep Breaths - Slow, deep breaths with exhalations that are twice as long as the inhalations calm the nervous system, bring your heart rate down, and ease muscle tension.
(Parents)