Parenting is often described as the toughest yet most rewarding job one can do. But the challenge is doubly felt if you’re a parent or carer experiencing mental health issues like depression or anxiety.
While parenting with mental health can seem overwhelming at times, there are ways to balance your wellbeing while supporting your child. There are also free resources and support available for parents struggling with mental health, which we’ll outline in this post.
Here, the team at Anglicare Victoria explains parenting with mental health, overcoming individual challenges and providing a supportive environment for children at the same time.
Challenges of parenting with mental health
Mental health issues can take a toll on any parent. Mental health can present a myriad of challenges for parents. For example, parenting with anxiety may make you feel more worried about your children, while depression can make parents feel exhausted and unable to complete basic tasks.
The challenges presented by mental health issues are diverse and complex, making their effects on parenthood equally complex, too.
How to balance personal wellbeing while supporting your child
With this in mind, there are several ways to try and balance our personal wellbeing while supporting our children:
- Building a support network
Support networks consist of close friends who you can trust to be there for you during challenging times. Whether this means coming over and providing practical support, or simply being a pair of ears, support networks can assist parents experiencing mental health issues.
- Setting goals
Setting small, achievable goals can help boost confidence. For example, it may be to take a small walk every day, to spend time in a green space, or to slowly cut back on a bad habit like smoking or excessive phone use.
Anglicare Victoria’s ParentZone
On top of this, Anglicare Victoria have several family-oriented programs which can assist parents struggling with mental health. Our ParentZone program encourages communication between parent and child, and helps to strengthen family relationships while taking each individual family member into account.
Anglicare Victoria’s ParentZone program focusses on:
- Improving communication between carers and children
- Preparing parents to cope with all ages and stages of childhood
- Learning strategies to positively shape and develop a child’s potential
- Strengthening family relationships as a whole
- Empowering children to manage their emotions
- Fostering strong relationships while dealing with additional challenges such as disability, neurodivergence, loss, trauma, separation and divorce
For parents experiencing mental health challenges, Anglicare Victoria’s ParentZone program is a free and open resource for carers across Victoria. Through expert advice, we are able to create long-lasting, positive change within the family dynamic. Get in touch with Anglicare Victoria today and enquire about our ParentZone program.
