In the build up to World Mental Health Day 2025, we want to share some guidance from Young Minds on ‘Support for parents whose child is struggling.
Why it’s important to look after yourself
Your mental health is important – just as important as anyone else’s. And you deserve as much love and compassion as you give your children.
Regularly taking time for yourself can help you manage your own mental health, preventing things like anxiety and depression. And it can help maintain your physical health too.
To look after others, you need to look after yourself. Taking time for emotional and physical care gives you the energy, resilience and compassion to care for your young person, helping those around you cope better too.
How you might be feeling
We spoke to parents and carers, who shared some of the feelings they find make it harder to look after themselves:
- Guilt
- Self-doubt
- Burnout
- Frustration
- Loneliness
It’s important to remember that all of these feelings are completely normal. And they’re also worth paying attention to. Just as you would support a loved one experiencing self-doubt, burnout, or loneliness, your own feelings are valid and worthy of time, attention, and care.
There are also lots of things you can do to help with these feelings, and ways to build in small steps to your daily routine to help you cope.
Getting support from others
No matter how good you are at self-care, you still need support from others. In fact, when we spoke to parents, strong social connections were one of the things they said most helped them to cope.
Talking to a professional
If things are getting really difficult, you might want to talk to a professional about what’s going on. You can do this by:
- Meeting your GP
- Finding a counsellor or psychotherapist
- Speaking to a charity
