“Take 5” is our ​Mental Health and well-being campaign

This is pivotal for at Anna Kennedy Online and we have resources to share and hope that this will help our audience. It is hard to Take 5 for parents of children who have a disability. I know it’s never easy especially if you are a one parent family. As a parent we all have days when the pressure of the week can get too much.

Dr Anna Kennedy OBE has spoken to parents and carers for many years who are feeling stretched above their limits and receiving a low level of support especially during the school holidays and now during these tough times. Parents are trying their best juggling care, housework, work, taxi service, reading some of those wonderful Special Educational Needs documents EHCP etc that are thrown at you.

As a first-time parent going through the SEN system, you feel it is written in another language which you must familiarise yourself with jargon used in the Special Educational Needs world. This is all on a few hours’ sleep if you’re lucky and parents grabbing a cat nap here and there if the opportunity occurs.

Sometimes we just need a quiet 5 mins whatever it to do. A cup of tea and a chocolate biscuit, listen to a couple of your favourite songs that remind you of your youth or go out onto the trampoline and have a jump. Parenting children that have a diagnosis of Autism and overlapping conditions can be challenging not only for us parents but for the individual who you care for, love, and cherish. We are the glue holding everything together so it’s about taking just 5 minutes as and when you can, even if it’s to shut yourself in the bathroom and have a scream!

Don’t be so hard on yourself your doing the best you can taking it a day at a time some days good some days not good.

You may like to try some of Giuliana Wheater tips and advice which is listed below.

Click here for some further great tips and useful resources on our website.

There’s lots of good stuff out there on the web. Keep safe everyone.