Healthy Relationships Initiative
When engaging in self-care, try to approach it from a holistic perspective. Tune into the different areas that factor into your overall well-being. This may include your physical health, emotional and/or spiritual needs, relationships, and mental health.
Adapted from HRI blog post, Single Parenting: Self-Care.
Parents and caregivers often find themselves running on fumes, which makes self-care hard to accomplish when life gets crazy. Having a go-to list of self-care strategies makes it more likely that parents and caregivers can find one that works for them when time or energy is limited.
When time is of the essence, but stress is at an all-time high, practice deep breathing or sit still for five minutes. If you have a little more time to relax, color with an adult coloring book or make a gratitude list. If you need a quick pick-me-up, try playing one of your favorite songs, especially one that brings back good memories.
For more self-care strategies, check out the HRI Toolkit: Self-Care for Parents and Caregivers.
Even just a few minutes each day can offer time to regroup and take care of yourself. If it’s difficult for you to find time to care for yourself, start small. Can you find even five to ten minutes to do something that you find nurturing for your body and soul? Consider taking a quick walk outside, reading a few pages of a book you enjoy, or simply sitting quietly to calm your mind.
Adapted from HRI blog post, The Benefits for Children When Adults Take Good Care of Themselves.
By: Camila Dos Santos, M.Ed.
Keep talking with young children long after the divorce.
One of the best ways to help young children cope with anything difficult is to consistently and openly talk about it with them. An important part of this is to allow them to share without judgment and to refrain from projecting your feelings or fears onto them.
To support kids long after the divorce, keep open lines of communication to ensure you’re up to speed with how they are coping and being proactive about any maladjusted behaviors.
This series was adapted from the following article in partnership with Triad Moms on Main.
By: Camila Dos Santos, M. Ed.
AFTER THE DIVORCE: Co-parent intentionally and respectfully by keeping the kids at the center of conversations between exes.
Communicating openly, putting the child(ren) at the heart of each discussion, and refraining from discussing relationship issues will help each parent continue to have healthy discussions about how to co-parent after a divorce.
For more tips on living healthy co-parenting after divorce, check out our HRI Relationship Booster on Effective Co-Parenting After Divorce.
This series was adapted from the following article in partnership with Triad Moms on Main.
By: Camila Dos Santos, M.Ed.
AFTER THE DIVORCE: Don’t assume just because the divorce is over, that the kids are “over it.”
Just because the divorce process is over doesn’t mean that the family is finished adjusting or that the kids are finished processing!
Healing from divorce takes time, and it makes sense that it takes a little longer for children as they need more time to process and accept all of the changes that divorce brings.
While ex-partners may be anxious to move on quickly, it’s important to remember that just because the proceedings are over doesn’t mean that healing is.
This series was adapted from the following article in partnership with Triad Moms on Main.
We are excited to partner once again with Healthy UNCG to provide a series of programming dedicated to promoting healthy relationships at work and at home during the pandemic! This program, presented by HRI Program Coordinator, Camila Dos Santos, will focus on how to recognize burnout, overcome and prevent it in the future.
To attend this free virtual program, please connect to the HRI Facebook page (@HealthyRelationshipsInitiative) on October 29, 2020 at 11:00-12:00 PM.
We are excited to partner once again with Healthy UNCG to provide a series of programming dedicated to promoting healthy relationships at work and at home during the pandemic! This program, presented by HRI Director, Dr. Christine Murray, will focus on how to build healthy communication and set healthy boundaries in relationships and is free to all who attend.
By: Camila Dos Santos, M.Ed.
Tip 2: Don’t take misbehavior or negative emotions by young kids personally.
Going through a divorce is hard on the entire family. It’s important for parents to remember not to take the things that their children may do personally. When children are struggling to deal with a situation, they can respond by misbehaving or through other negative emotions, such as anger, anxiety, or frustration.
If you notice that your child(ren) seems overwhelmed, consider going for a walk outside and giving them an opportunity to talk about it or doing an arts and crafts project together while asking them open-ended questions about their feelings.
Having coping strategies in place can help minimize negative behaviors in young children and help the entire family cope with tough days during a divorce. However, it may not prevent misbehavior entirely, and so parents must remember not to take this personally during a divorce.
This series was adapted from the following article.
HRI is partnering with Fellowship Hall for another program in our Lived Experiences Professional Training Institute!
The HRI Lived Experiences Professional Training Institute is designed to provide professionals with an opportunity to hear from people who have lived through a particular experience. The idea is that professionals can learn from individuals who have gone through a particular circumstance, and can gain insights into how best to support and work with the families or individuals they serve.
On Tuesday, September 22nd, we will hear from several panelists who are in recovery, or who are parents of someone in recovery, as they share their journeys of how addiction and the road to recovery has impacted areas of their lives, including being a parent.
Due to the nature of this program, only professionals who work with those impacted by addiction may register for and attend this training. Please complete one registration per participant, as each link to connect is unique.
Click here to register for this free professional training!
Please direct any questions about this training to Camila Dos Santos at c_dossan@uncg.edu.