As a parent you are well accustomed to putting everything, and everyone else, first. Between work, your partner, children, dinner, house chores, and community engagements, the list actually never ends. Self-care? That’s likely last on the list, carrying its own feelings of guilt when you can’t take care of yourself, or when you do.
Now add the layer of having a child struggling with their emotions, behaviors, or overall health. Those additional meetings, appointments, calls, and bills add up. So does the emotional toll of worrying about your child, navigating everyday needs and behaviors, and frustrations of navigating a complicated and messy healthcare system.
The caregiver burden is not often given the research and attention it deserves. In 2023, Mightier conducted a study of 379 caregivers to measure the toll of parenting on well-being. 83% of caregivers reported that their engagement in valued activities or relationships had been negatively impacted by their child’s mental or behavioral health. In addition, 69% reported that their child’s behavioral or mental health has negatively impacted their career.
The connection between child and parent mental health makes sense. When your child struggles, so do you. But parents, your mental health matters.
Families are systems, meaning each person in a family affects and is affected by the others. The better condition each part of a system is functioning, the better outcomes for the system as a whole. A meta-analysis analyzing the relationships between family systems, parents’ psychological health, and parenting quality found that improvements in psychological health are directly linked to better parenting quality, such as increased responsiveness, patience, and emotional availability. In other words, healthier, happier caregivers lead to healthier, happier families.
This information is not meant to add guilt or another to-do to your plate (because let’s be honest, it absolutely could). Instead, take this as permission.
Prioritizing your own mental health doesn’t necessarily mean attending therapy sessions or going to the spa. While those are still great things to find time for, let’s be realistic about self-care and identify small things you can more easily embed into your day. These following strategies don’t require much time or resources, and can be powerful in reducing stress and burnout.
- Mindful Meditation – The consumer wellness culture is flooded with words like mindfulness and meditation, but trendy as the words may be, the research stands. There are countless studies supporting the benefits of meditation on health, well-being, and mental performance. One study showed that even a 20-minute session of meditation significantly reduced anxiety for participants. But you don’t have to start there! You can find guided meditations on apps like Headspace that start with meditations as short as one minute long. Finding a few minutes in your day for solitude and mindfulness can make a big difference in how you feel during the more challenging moments you encounter.
- Move Your Body – Physical activity is vital to mental health and wellbeing. Exercise increases the production of neurotransmitters such as serotonin and dopamine, which play key roles in mood regulation. It also lowers levels of cortisol, a stress hormone, which helps us to better manage stress and anxiety. Getting exercise doesn’t have to look like joining a gym or a running group. It can be as simple as going on a daily walk or doing simple movements like squats and pushups while your children play in the living room or park. The important thing is that you’re finding something you enjoy and moving your body!
- Have “You Time” – As a busy parent, pursuing hobbies or interests may feel like the last thing you’d consider adding to your plate, but research shows that these activities matter. One study found that leisure activities are closely linked to enhanced emotional well-being, social connections, and personal fulfillment, collectively contributing to better mental and physical health. In her book, Eve Rodsky calls this “unicorn space”, a short amount of time set aside to pursue a passion or interest just for you. Whether it’s joining a reading a book or making a cup of tea, finding even short amounts of time to do the things you love can help you be the best parent you can be.
- Try Mightier! – While Mightier’s products help children learn skills to regulate their emotions, our team’s goal is to improve overall well-being for families. After just 12 weeks of playing Mightier, 83% of parents reported that their child’s emotional regulation improved and that their own stress had reduced significantly. Mightier is accessible, measurable, and clinically validated to help children build stronger emotional regulation skills through play.
To learn more about Mightier’s at-home family programming and how it can support your family, visit our website.
About the Author
Jessica Ragnio, MSW, LICSW has a passion for understanding families’ emotional needs, expanding mental health literacy, and turning evidence-based therapeutic approaches into playful, accessible and engaging forms of content. As the Clinical Director at Mightier, Jessica specializes in clinical content strategy and development, qualitative research, and family programming. Prior to Mightier, Jessica worked with neurodivergent children in school and group counseling settings, with teens and adults in inpatient psychiatry settings, and delivered outpatient therapy to adults struggling with anxiety and depression. Jessica received a Master’s degree in Clinical Social Work from the Boston College Graduate School of Social Work and is mother to twin daughters.
