Coffee Morning:

Last Thursday, we had the pleasure of the MHST team carrying out a virtual presentation on parental wellbeing. There were lots of really important messages about the need to care for our wellbeing as parents first. Although this seems counterintuitive, MHST shared that there is a growing amount of research which shows poor parental wellbeing can lead to poorer child outcomes. Having stronger wellbeing as parents enables us to engage more holistically with our children and set clear boundaries to support us coping with the stresses and strains of family life. 

There were several suggestions shared by the MHST team to support parental wellbeing:

• Getting the basics of food, sleep and water right.

• Using the 6 Ways to Wellbeing.

• Value based Living - living by what is important to you, such as kindness, being healthy, being creative. 

• Focus on what you can have control over. Future problems are usually problems we can't solve but they take up a lot of mental space. 

If are seeking support with your wellbeing, there were some suggestions made:

• A referral to Steps to Wellbeing - this can be by yourself or your GP

• Apps such as Calm and Headspace offer guided meditations

• Anna Freud website Selfcare for Parents

• Young Minds parent support https://www.youngminds.org.uk/parent/

• Re:Minds also run a course to support parental wellbeing