February 3, 2023 50 Resources to Support the Mental Health of Teachers and School Staff, Teach.com Tending to the needs of children, parents and staff, caregivers and educators balance a lot. With everything they have to juggle, they can sometimes overlook their own self-care and mental health needs. More Information on Supporting Mental Health To support the mental health of caregivers and educators, Teach.com has curated a list resources. The list features apps, websites, articles, podcasts, organizations, and books.
March 25, 2022 Developmentally Appropriate Parenting Series: Part XII Caring for the Caregiver Caregiving can often take a large toll on someone. However, if caregivers don’t take time time to prioritize themselves, they won’t be able to perform at their best. It might seem impossible to juggle self-care and the needs of others, so Trying Together published some resources with topics including how to ask and receive help, internal and external resources, and mindfulness for caregivers. Featured Resources A Guide to Caring for Yourself While Caring for Others A Guide to Caring for Yourself While Caring for Others helps caregivers walk through the importance of self-care as well as giving simple, realistic ways to practice self-care. How to Ask and Receive Help As a caregiver, it can be difficult to reach out for and receive help. Our article, How to Ask and Receive Help, can be a helpful resource on how to approach these situations. Support Resources for Parents and Caregivers This post is a carefully curated list of resources for families, parents, adoptive parents, kinship caregivers, and multigenerational caregivers for support. Read more. Practice Mindfulness for Parents Mindfulness can be a very helpful practice for overloaded parents to take a minute and come back to the present. Check out this article for what mindfulness can do for you, along with mindfulness activities and local mindfulness programs. External Resources for Parents and Caregivers View these four resources for additional support on caring for yourself as the caregiver. Learn More Additional resources and information can be found on the Trying Together website.
Practicing Mindfulness for Parents Practicing mindfulness for parents is one way to stay grounded throughout the crazy schedule and life of being a parent. Learning to practice compassion, live in the present moment, and be grateful for the things in your life will go a long way toward improving your clarity, focus, and mood from day to day. About Mindfulness Mindfulness is a helpful way to decompress if you’re feeling overwhelmed. It helps you notice your emotions and calm yourself in stressful situations. It includes breathing exercises, guided meditations, and taking a step back from difficult situations. These habits can give you the time and emotional space you need to solve problems at home. Mindfulness Activities Here are some mindfulness activities for parents to practice: try one of these one-minute mindfulness exercises—like mindfully chewing a raisin or repeating your heart’s aspiration. Create a mindfulness jar with your children as a family reminder to stop and keep your mind in the present. Start your day by repeating a positive affirmation Start a gratitude journal to focus on and remember the positives for a few minutes each day. Before you start your day, try a little goal visualization to decide what you want to get done. Try a body scan meditation with your kids to consider what you feel from head to toe and to relax your muscles. For a comprehensive list of examples, visit the Waterford website. Local Mindfulness Programs Awaken Pittsburgh offers free monthly guided meditations open to anyone. Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Courses (UPMC Integrative Medicine) MBSR is an eight-week, evidence-based, highly experiential course that is currently offered at more than 250 hospitals, universities, and clinical settings in the United States and around the world. MBSR primarily aims to help participants develop skills they can flexibly apply to stress, pain, and illness in everyday life. Through experiential learning and discussion during class, and daily mindfulness practice at home, participants learn and refine a range of self-regulatory skills that involve finely tuned attention to thoughts, emotions, and physical sensations. Call 412-623-3023 or visit the UPMC website. The Penn Program for Mindfulness provides powerful tools for coping and personal growth while combining modern cognitive science with ancient mindfulness techniques. Participants learn to reconnect with the source of meaning in their lives, be steady in the most difficult moments, and connect more deeply with what matters most to them. Mindfulness approaches help individuals to let go of unproductive habits and reactivity. Learn more on The Penn Program for Mindfulness website.
Support Resources for Parents and Caregivers Parents and caregivers of young children are tasked with ensuring that their children’s needs are met. The following resources are available for parenting help and support those individuals as they also work to take care of themselves. Support Resources For Parenting Help and Support Jerimiah’s Place Jerimiah’s Place provides families in Pittsburgh and surrounding areas with emergency child care for children ages zero to six completely free of charge. Children can stay at Jerimiah’s Place for a few hours or a few days based on the needs of each family. Because Jerimiah’s Place does not operate as a drop-in center, families must register for an intake appointment. For more information, visit the Jerimiah’s Place website or call 412.924.0726. PA 211 If you need to connect with resources in your community but don’t know where to look, PA 211 is a great place to start. At the PA 211 website, you can get connected with services such as family/parent support groups, marriage counseling, education programs, and other assistance. Allegheny County Family Centers All 27 Allegheny County Family Centers offer activities kids, parents, and caregivers of all ages can take part in. Activities and various support services are free to parents and their children. Stay up-to-date with your local family center by visiting the Allegheny County Family Center website. Single Mom Defined Single Mom Defined is a safe space for single mothers to seek advice and support, share stories and resources, and build new friendships. This group is open to all current and former single moms, no matter their race, religion, or location. Women-leading organizations serving single mothers and families can connect moms to resources and information to help them thrive. Single Mom Defined’s babysitting cooperative is open to mothers in Clairton, East Hills, Homewood (including Lincoln, Larimer, and Lemington), and the Hilltop (including Arlington, Beltzhoover, and Knoxville). Learn more at the Single Mom Defined website. For Adoptive Parents PA’s Statewide Adoption & Permanency Network (SWAN) The Statewide Adoption and Permanency Network (SWAN) is a partnership among the Department of Human Services (DHS), the Pennsylvania Adoption Exchange, public and private adoption agencies, organizations, advocates, judges, the legal community, and foster and adoptive parents. SWAN provides post-adoption services like case advocacy to help families access services, support groups, and planned breaks through respite care. Families self-refer to SWAN Post-Permanency Services by calling the SWAN Helpline at 1-800-585-7926. Learn more on the SWAN website. For Kinship Caregivers KinConnector PA KinConnector provides guidance, advice, and support for grandparents raising grandchildren and other relative and non-relative Kinship Caregivers. Learn more on the KinConnector website or by calling 1-866-546-2111. For Multigenerational Caregivers (Taking Care of Parents and Children) Pennsylvania Caregiver Support Program The Pennsylvania Caregiver Support Program, provided through the DHS Area Agency on Aging, provides resources and assistance to individuals who assume the primary responsibility for the provision of care to encourage a healthy, ongoing relationship with their care receiver. The program aims to alleviate the stresses associated with caregiving by focusing on the well-being of the caregiver. Services include providing access to respite care, addressing the need for formal and informal support, and providing financial reimbursement for out-of-pocket costs associated with caregiving-related services and supplies. Learn more on the Allegheny County DHS website.
How to Ask for and Receive Help Are you always willing to help others but you don’t like asking for help? Ask for Help Caring for yourself is one of the most important, yet one of the most often forgotten, things you can do as a parent or a caregiver. Caring for others is one of the most selfless things someone can do, and requesting assistance might feel selfish or daunting. According to Psychology Today, we live “in a society that praises self-help and self-reliance, [and] it is becoming increasingly difficult for us to ask our colleagues, friends, and even our family for the assistance we need. The mere thought of needing help from others can eat away at our ego, undermine our confidence, make us question our abilities, and even paralyze us with anxiety.” However, accepting help is necessary because when you take care of your own needs, the person (or people) you care for will benefit, too. Make it a Habit Allowing those around you to support you not only eases your responsibility load but can give someone who is helping a feeling of worth. Here are a few ways to make asking for and receiving help a habit: Say yes. When someone offers to help you with a task, practice saying yes. Even if it seems like a mundane task, such as making a meal or picking up your child from school, it’s one less thing you have on your plate. Examine your beliefs on receiving. For example: What’s stopping you from accepting assistance from others? Do you feel that you don’t deserve to receive love or support? If so, why do you feel that way? Allow others to give. It takes two to give and receive, and consistently rejecting help from willing people can create roadblocks in a relationship. Let those you trust know when you feel like you’re approaching the point of needing support or a step back. Give them time to prepare themselves so that they can be more effective when you do reach out. Make a List of Helpers Spend some time thinking about your friends, neighbors, or family members who you consider your support team. Ask them if it’s ok to count on them for support when you need it. It could make things easier to keep a handy list of people you know willing to help with certain tasks – such as meal planning, child care, moral support, or other specific tasks. Also, keep a list of people who have offered their help to you at some point. Even though you might never call upon these people, having the tangible proof that you are surrounded by support can ease stress. Download a PDF to help keep track of your helpers.
Self-Care Resources for Parents and Caregivers Self- Care Resources Caregiving can often take a large toll on someone. However, if caregivers don’t take time time to prioritize themselves, they won’t be able to perform at their best. Here are some resources for parents and caregivers to practice self-care amidst their busy lives. 4 Tips to Manage Sandwich Generation Stress: Squeezed Between Parents and Kids, AARP As the American population grows older, more families have more members with caregiving needs, and increasing numbers of caregivers have simultaneous obligations looking after multiple family members of various ages. More Information The AARP offers some insight on how to better support “sandwich generation caregivers” and convince them to better support themselves. Pennsylvania KinConnector – Self-Care Tips Self-care is taking care of yourself so you can be your best self for the children in your care. Pennsylvania KinConnector has offered some self-care tips. More Information This infographic from Pennsylvania KinConnector outlines some strategies to help fill you spiritually, physically, and emotionally as you take the necessary steps to give yourself the best care you need. Self-Care Inventory, NAMI Caregivers who pay attention to their own physical and emotional health are better able to handle the challenges of supporting someone else. Improving your relationship with yourself by maintaining your physical and mental health makes you more resilient, helping you weather hard times and enjoy good ones. More Information This self-care inventory from the National Alliance on Mental Illness can serve as a temperature check for how you are doing with your self-care habits. “No” is a Complete Sentence, Mindful.org Saying “no” is all about creating personal boundaries. This allows you to focus your time on doing the things that will make the most impact. More Information This article written by Shelly Tygielsky outlines the importance of setting up personal boundaries around what we are and aren’t willing to accept for our own mental stability.
A Guide to Caring for Yourself While Caring for Others Parents and caregivers of young children are tasked with ensuring that their children’s needs are met. While it can seem impossible to juggle both your needs and your family’s everyday needs, make sure to prioritize your well-being as a parent or caregiver. This will not only benefit your health and well-being but will also benefit your family. Importance of Self-Care It’s easy to confuse self-care with self-indulgent behavior. This mentality might make you feel guilty for thinking you need to take a break from your life to do something that makes you feel better. The reality is that self-care is the practice of taking good care of your body, your mind, and your soul every day. Repeatedly putting the needs of others before your own can create stress, burnout, and resentment. Stress that’s left unchecked can contribute to many health problems, such as high blood pressure, heart disease, obesity, and diabetes. When you neglect yourself, you reduce your effectiveness in caring for others. Put it to Practice When you’re taking care of others, sometimes it seems like there isn’t enough time to ensure that your needs are met. You can begin to take steps toward better self-care by making small changes to your daily or weekly routine. Consider the following: Practice healthy habits – eat healthy foods, get enough sleep, make time to exercise regularly, and stay on top of your medical appointments. Talk to someone – reach out to friends or family to build a sense of belonging. Consider joining a support group to make new friends. Try to do something you enjoy every day – Dance to a song you enjoy, watch a TV show, paint, read, etc. even if it’s just for 10 or 15 minutes. Find ways to relax – Take a walk, meditate, practice deep breathing, get a massage, or take a bath. Build a self-care kit – Fill it with little things that you can use when you have a moment to yourself or if you need a pick-me-up – snacks, little gifts like socks or lotion, affirmations, jokes, or a gift card for when you have more time to do something. Create a Checklist A self-care checklist can serve as a guide to help you maintain your designated habits. It is meant to help you monitor yourself and see whether or not you are complying. It is also intended to help you track your progress and revise your plan accordingly if needed. Consider the following when filling out your checklist: Set SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, Timely) goals for taking care of yourself. Set aside some time each day to decompress. For example, download a meditation app and meditate for five minutes before you go to sleep. Disconnect from email, social media, and mindless scrolling. If you find yourself reaching for the phone when you’re trying to relax, try putting it in another room. Quick bursts of indulgence are not a sustainable route to health and happiness, so self-care should not be a temporary practice. Make self-care a long-lasting habit. Printable Daily Self-Care Checklist Download a printable self-care checklist to monitor how you will build self-care into a daily habit.
