Are you a Neurodivergent Parent? Here's How You Can Feel Less Overstimulated.
It is estimated that more than 15% of people in the UK are neurodivergent. That means that there will be many parents who are neurodivergent.
I have been learning and researching more about neurodiversity to add to my knowledge, personal interest, and continually develop to help best support the families and communities I work with.
In this post I discuss my recent reflections on support available for neurodivergent parents and the ways that I offer guidance on looking after your mental health and wellbeing with my services.
Neurodivergent Mums
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Over the last few months I have spoken to and worked with several mums who have been feeling tired, overstimulated and looking for ways to look after their mental health.
The mums that I spoke with had two things in common. Not only were they experiencing similar feelings and emotions, but they also have ADHD.
None of them know each other and they all came to me individually. However, they were all looking for guidance on making their neurodivergent parenting journey less stressful, reducing overstimulation with the aim to feel calmer and have more harmony in their lives.
ADHD manifests differently in women and from researching online and in person conversations in my personal and professional life there are more women realising that they could have/have ADHD.
Support for Neurodivergent Parents
I have been looking online to see what support is available for neurodivergent parents relating to tools to support their mental health and wellbeing. I was aware that there is a lot of information about techniques and strategies for supporting neurodivergent children. Yet, I haven’t come across nearly as many resources for parents who are neurodivergent. I found this interesting and disheartening as neurodivergence is often hereditary. Especially when becoming a parent is such a massive change that brings new experiences, joys and challenges that you might not have experienced before, especially if you are a first time parent.
Adding being neurodivergent into the equation can bring additional unique experiences and require support to balance your own needs and the constant demands of parenting. I would have thought there would be a wider range of support available that was accessible to find, without spending a lot of time and energy searching online.
I had two conversations with mums this week about ways to support parent carers mental wellbeing specifically for the parents and carers themselves and as a holistic family offer.
One way that I will be helping offer my mindfulness and wellbeing expertise is by sharing a pre-recorded talk as part of Work + Play Hub’s Mental Health for Parent’s webinar panel on the 22nd May. I will be exploring ways to nurture and support parents wellbeing with a focus on those raising children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities. If you would like to hear more, and from other speakers in the webinar, you can find out more and book a free ticket here.
How I Can Help
All my services are available to neurodivergent parents or carers and parents/carers with a neurodivergent child(ren).
However, after seeing a gap I wanted to create a service that was specifically for neurodivergent parents. I understand how challenging it can be to give yourself permission to rest and quieten your mind which is why I offer a way to support you in a journey to embrace rest and increase your energy. So that you can let go of feeling overstimulated and tired and instead you can slow down and have a calmer mind.
Yoga Nidra meditation is a powerful way to enter a space of mental stillness and be a “dopamine fix for inner peace” as Netta describes it.
My Deep Rest programme can support you on your journey to calm. This 3-month programme is designed to help you fully relax and reflect on ways that you can manage stress so that you can feel more present and increase your energy levels while neurodivergent parenting. Discover more by tapping here.
More Support for Neurodiverse Families
If you are looking for more support for you and your family, below are ways that I can help you to have more calm in your life:
Kid’s Calm Kit (price goes up tomorrow!)
Supporting Siblings in Neurodiverse Families Mini-Course
The Mindful Reconnect (online course)
1:1 Transform programme (now with the option to choose 4 weeks or 4 months)
Lastly, if there is something that you would find beneficial for you and your family that I don’t currently offer please don’t hesitate to email me at hello@butterfly-minds.co.uk. I would love to hear from you and ways that I could potentially offer my support in the future.