I have a right to be happy and enjoy the life I have been given!

I believe that even though I am a parent of sons and a daughter with autism and mental illness, I have a right to experience peace of mind and to do whatever is necessary to maintain that!

1.    I have a right to "pursue happiness" and enjoy the one short life I have been given.

2.    I am worth whatever work it takes to cultivate and maintain a peaceful existence within and I believe that there is a Power much Greater than I am that will do anything to assist me in that endeavor.

3.    I have a right to enjoy the beauty of nature around me!  I can get out of the house and take a walk, clear my mind and seek conscious contact with my Creator.

4.    I have the right to not waste my life consumed by worry and gripped by fear over the future well-being of my sons and daughter.

5.    I have the right to love myself and to make self-care my primary responsibility, just for today!

I declare that just for today, I have the right to Peace of Mind!


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Self Care for Parents: Put On Your Own Oxygen Mask First

We know the drill:  "Parents!  First put on your own oxygen mask!  Before you attempt to assist your child with theirs!"  So why is it so difficult to remember?  Parents of children with Autism (or a similar challenge) usually exhaust themselves into emotional, physical and financial bankruptcy before they are willing to consider self care.  Our marriages end or are in shambles, our children hate us, we have lost our homes or savings, our jobs are neglected, and our doctors...have never seen us before...and we are depressed, anxious, and have forgotten how to enjoy life.  It is time to take care of ourselves first, or we will have no life at all.  It will soon all fade to black, if we don't FIRST put on our own oxygen mask.  When I got word of a parent's death, I was stunned.  I thought of myself as one of her "supports".  I hadn't seen her in a number of months.  We used to be occassional "walking buddies."  We had since moved to another to
Read more

My Favorite Best Self Care Free Resource!

I have found a WONDERFUL FREE Self Care resource for you!!!  It is available worldwide.  I have been personally using it everyday.  WHAT A GIFT FOR PARENTS!!!  Run, do not walk, to the nearest Parents Meeting of Al-Anon in your area!   I have been attending multiple meetings every week for over a year.   It is the best resource I have found for Parents of Youth or Adults with Autism/Aspergers/ADHD/Mental Illness! At those meetings I am learning how to cope with my sons and daughter's autism and mental illness, in ways that are  quality of life enhancing for all concerned .  My children with autism are now ages 17, 19 and 21 years old.  Practicing this program has improved the lives of my entire family. The Al-Anon Literature is very applicable, if you just substitute the word "Autism, Aspergers,ADHD or Mental Illness" for Alcohol or Alcoholic.   This substitution opens up a treasure trove of  valuable coping strategies regarding the behaviors of another person t
Read more

The Gift of Learning to Love Life Again: Step One

I am a mom of 4 children.  Three of them have Autism.  Most people gasp, after that statement.  I know what that is like.  When I only had one child with Autism, I remember calling a mom that I had heard had three children on the autistic spectrum .  I just had to call her, just to hear her voice.  I thought my situation was overwhelming with just ONE (so I thought at the time) child with Autism.  I could not imagine having more than one. It was kind of a morbid curiosity that I had... to find out what a person would "sound like", that was parenting three children with autism.  Forgetting all appropriate phone protocol, I blurted, "I don't think that I would still be alive, if I had THREE with Autism!  I think I would have lost it, and that I would be in the fetal position in my closet."  I was embarrassed that I could not come up with something....anything else to say to this poor woman! "Ah....If you don't mind my asking...How do you do it?.....I
Read more