4 Ways to Treat Parental Fatigue of Parents of Special Needs Kids

This article from Veritas Community Counseling outlines how parents can determine their level of fatigue and provides ideas on how to treat the causes.

It's normal to feel tired after raising your child, especially if your kid has special needs, but it's not normal to feel higher fatigue levels. Fatigue is when you feel a complete lack of energy, even after getting full rest and eating. This is known as parental fatigue, and it's crucial to diagnose and treat parental fatigue in parents of special needs kids quickly before it causes other problems.

How to Assess Your Fatigue Levels

When assessing your fatigue levels to determine if you have parental fatigue (also known as parental burnout), ask yourself these questions and why they matter:

•           How well are you sleeping? If your sleep isn't good, you feel even more exhausted than you already do while parenting. A study by Sleepjunkie found that 90% of parents only get five to six hours of sleep, which isn't enough.

•           How has your child's behavior been? Dealing with negative behavior from your child may cause worse sleep, overthinking, and stress.

•           How supportive are friends and family? It takes more than one person to raise a child, and if you don't have the right support system from friends and family, you have to do more work yourself and become more tired.

How to Properly Lower Fatigue Levels and Be More Energetic

There are more extensive ways to fight off fatigue, but here's a simple list that helps:

1.         Consume a healthy diet

2.         Drink plenty of water

3.         Exercise regularly (and include your child)

4.         Start meditating or rest more

5.         Talk with a doctor

How to Avoid Negative Side Effects of Treating Fatigue

Always look out for yourself and do what's best for your health, but keep in mind some of this may cause some adverse side effects over time. For example, don't over-rely on your support system as this may burn them out, and you may receive less help from them over time.

Properly treat your anxiety/depression or other mental illnesses that you may have while battling your fatigue. Talking with a therapist can help with this.

Treat Fatigue by Pursuing Some Personal Goals

One of the best ways to treat your fatigue is to find a way to pursue personal goals. This can include getting back into a favorite hobby, such as reading, writing, or painting. You may want to set time aside to go back to school or even start your own business. According to a study by the New York Times, 94% of parents said they felt starting a business made them feel like better parents. If you do plan to start a business, creating a limited liability company is the safest and most flexible way to start a business. Some major benefits include limited personal liability, less paperwork, and tax advantages. Each state has laws about creating an LLC, so make sure to check your state laws on how to form an Oregon LLC business first.

Treat Your Parental Fatigue and Stay Healthy for Your Child

Parental fatigue is more common than you think, but it's easy to treat. Visit Veritas Community Counseling to find out how counseling can help you.

Article written by: Gwen Payne