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Life does not always give us what we are expecting and can bring many challenges that make us question our ability to handle the pain. When Debbie’s oldest son, Alex, was diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder at age seventeen after being hospitalized for nearly a month and then became addicted to drugs and alcohol, she wasn’t prepared for how to deal with what she would be up against over the next nine years and the fear, anxiety, and grief she would experience. read more

When you are so focused on challenges with your teen or young adult child, you may feel you are losing connection with yourself.

Constant focus on crises may leave you with little time or energy for yourself or the things you enjoy.

Life may become all about the problems. Losing sight of joys.

Start by recognizing when you are putting yourself last.

Make a commitment to yourself to take care of you.

Learn to focus on you. Your needs. Your desires.

Taking care of yourself and your needs also allows you to be better able to support your child.

Share in the comments what step you can take now to take care of you.

Sending love and light,

Debbie

If your child begins using drugs or alcohol or has a mental illness in their teens or young adulthood, not only is life different but they may be different too.

They may not enjoy the same activities they once did, have the same social life, relate to you in the same way, or handle things in life with the same enthusiasm or energy.

Taking the time to grieve the loss of how they were before will help you accept the changes and what is happening in the present.

Even though your child is still with you, this grieving process is important. It allows you to move forward with your life because you are consciously recognizing that things are different than they used to be and this awareness allows you to be in a better position to adapt to the changes.

When my oldest son was diagnosed with mental illness at age seventeen and became addicted to drugs, the next nine years were very different than the first seventeen years of his life. For me, grieving the loss of who he was before, involved many childhood memories flooding back and allowing myself to accept the changes.

If you are having a difficult time accepting or handling challenges with your son or daughter, or fears are getting in your way, sign up for my free 2 day challenge.

Join me live for 3 Steps for Finding Peace and Love Amidst the Tears: A free challenge for parents of troubled teens or young adults. Use this link to register for my free 2 day challenge

FREE Challenge for Parents

So many times we focus on what is not working, what is wrong, what we fear…the result?  We feel unhappy, anxious, upset.

Creating a routine every morning and evening to shift your focus from the negative to the positive will shift your energy, which will help you create more positive experiences for yourself.  Your energy matters most as to the experiences you attract more of.

And when you are dealing with a lot of uncertainty, bringing in some certainty with a morning and evening routine will help with anxiety and is grounding.

This week, set an intention to create a routine in the morning to set the tone for your day and in the evening just before sleep, to shift your focus to the positive rather than the negative.  This will improve your happiness and is an investment in your well being.

Even when your life gets busy, make this special time for yourself. You could shorten your routine during very busy times if you need to, just as long as you can give yourself something positive and add certainty.

My morning routine includes a meditation, celery juice, a smoothie, and journaling.  My evening routine includes working on my book, speaking out loud to my son who passed away, prayer, and a meditation.

I invite you to share your routine here.

Sending love and light,

Debbie