New Year Commitments
Being a parent of a child with autism can be challenging at times to say the least. By the end of the year, you can feel burnt out, run down and ready for a break. The year ahead signifies new beginnings. If you are looking to get your passion and enthusiasm back on track then please read on.
Try applying these tools to get re-energized in the New Year!
Start With Yourself
When you have a child with autism, things can take a lot of extra care. Much of your energy is put into decision making, lobbying for your child and focused attention to give them your best. This is exactly why it pays to put yourself first at least once per day.
As difficult as it feels to put your needs first, once you make this part of your routine you’ll find you will be more content, feel more nurtured and available to be with your child when they need it.
Begin by setting your day with an intention. Take a few moments each morning to create purpose for yourself about how you want to do your day. This doesn’t necessarily mean getting results (e.g. what you want to achieve or how your child will respond to you) but how do you, yourself want to show up today?
Here are some examples:
“Today I will to love myself no matter what happens”.
“Today I am going to be playful and find in fun in each thing that happens”.
“Today I will be totally present and take one step at a time, moment to moment”.
Living with intention can totally change the course of your day which truly changes the course of your life.
Find something that nourishes you and do it each day, no matter how small it may be. The practice of scheduling your needs in to each day will be an active action you can take to care for yourself. Perhaps for you it means just 5 minutes of yoga poses while your child eats their breakfast. Asking your spouse to do bedtime with the kids while you take a hot bath, or simply drinking a warming cup of tea by the fire while it is still hot.
In The Playroom
Look back at your Son-Rise Program manual and refresh your memory by re-reading your notes. Remember how inspired you felt at the end of each day. You took little nuggets of information down and learnings for yourself that will remain with you for the rest of your journey with your special child. See if you can take one learning from your notes each day and re-ignite it for yourself.
If you have not yet been to a Son-Rise Program Start-Up, what a great start to the New Year for you to attend. Request a Call and speak to a Program Advisor for more information. If you are not in a place to come right now then use materials on our website to boost your attitude and passion.
Here are some great links to resources that will help re-invigorate you.
Being Silly in the Playroom
Joining Your Child
Try having a playroom overhaul. Switch toys that don’t often get used out with new items and re-arrange the shelves to create a new look and feel to the room. Perhaps you could raid your toy closet for new props and ideas to present to your child to keep things fresh and exciting!
At Bedtime and During Mealtimes
Re-read Raun K. Kaufman’s book Autism Breakthrough and Kate C. Wilde’s book Autistic Logistics and commit to following The Son-Rise Program sleep protocol. Pick a week that works for you and jump in to make it happen. The more rest that you get the more rested your child and family will be allowing you all more vitality this year.
http://www.autismbreakthrough.com/
http://www.autisticlogistics.com/
Now is the time to look into dietary interventions and eliminations for your child. Many of the foods they eat can affect their sensitive bio-medical system, which in turn affects their behavior and mood. The best way for them to reset is to clean up their diet. There are many resources and websites available to help you on your journey.
https://elanaspantry.com/
http://nourishinghope.com/
With your spouse or significant other
For many couples living with a child on the Autism Spectrum this can be the thing that gets put on the back burner the most. Re-opening lines of communication with each other and getting on the same page will keep your relationship healthy and reduce stress. Ask for help from them where you need it and see if you can get a trusted volunteer to watch your child while you spend some quality time just the two of you. Try your hand at dialoguing each other so that you can explore beliefs that might be preventing you from practicing peace and ease. For a refresher in the Option Process dialogue questions you can purchase the book Power Dialogues or grab a copy of happiness is a choice and read some chapters of it.
Know we are always available for you if you are feeling in a slump. Book a call, reach out on facebook, and use our blog.
We are wishing you a Happy New Year and a passionate and re-energized attitude for the coming months and year!