Self-care Tips for Autism Caregivers
In this episode, I talk all about my healing journey. I discuss how I went from just surviving to learn how to thrive. I discuss all of the strategies I practice that help me improve how I meet my own needs with gentle kindness and tender loving support. Being an autism mom and caregiver involves big emotions and challenging situations. I try to practice these with loving kindness, soothing tools like meditation and mindfulness, and remembering I have a wild, beautiful, chaotic pile of people out there who know my heart and life. Autism life is a loud and colorful one! And we can flourish and celebrate it.
Throw that Compassion Confetti everywhere, my LOVIES!!!!
1:30 The episode is about how you transition from hurting to healing as we learn to manage a life that has autism to color it.
4:34 The story we tell ourselves: What are you focusing on? Is my story hurting me or helping? Rescripting the story if needed
7:43 The grind and how it can negatively impact you. You thrive; everyone thrives
8:09 Grace to not be perfect. Going to bed with a sense of peace and ease, not anxiety and fear
8:38 Allowing others to help, surrender, and let go to get rest and respite
10:37 Acceptance of our story, child, and ourselves…what can I really give today?
11:30 Looking for and focusing on the good in the chaos
13:58 Journey from diagnosis to balanced acceptance-pace yourself
15:24 What I wish I would have known to save so much sadness/worry/pain/anxiety Have faith
18:40 Comparisons: Focus on you and your child. Come from a place of love and what works best for you
19:51 Holiday story: Adjust expectations for success and problem-solve to recalibrate and pivot
22:26 Partnerships: the challenges and my insight hindsight being 20/20
25:11 When you are doing it all on your own….supporting and caring and loving yourself
25:56 Understanding self-care: where do you start when you are used to just caring for everyone else
27:01 Am I in Fight or Flight? Responding in kind
29:49 How do you manage the big scary emotions and challenging experiences that autism caregivers and moms have
31:26 Catching your inner voice? Is it loving or critical? Practice it being more supportive
32:30 The tangible practices to develop self-love/care and support Meditation/Mindfulness/Loving Kindness
33:05 Meditation/Mindfulness: A fluid practice to experiment with time and types
36:17 Alternative Emotional Healing: somatic healing-emotions trapped in your body- EFT tapping vagal exercises
38:49 Self-Regulation: big emotions and situations and how we stay balanced It’s a practice
42:09 Common Humanity: how connecting and recognizing people have the same experience makes it hurt less
44:13 REST learn to REST YES I SAID REST You CAN do it
48:17 Allow messiness and imperfection- 65% good enough parent
49:19 My current practices are for self-compassion and self-care/love/support