Parents Need Stress Management Too!

Lauren M. Haack, PhD; Assistant Clinical Professor, UCSF

What: Helpful mindsets and self-care activities to reduce parenting stress.

* Redirecting attention to what you can versus can't control
* Adjusting expectations and limiting "should" thoughts
* Acknowledging the little victories!
* Focusing on self-compassion and validation
* Scheduling in quick, easy, and realistic self-care activities

When: Schedule at least one self-care activity each day to prevent feeling overwhelmed. Practice helpful thinking when you’re calm, using it when you are starting to feel stressed.

Effectiveness: Thoughts about the ability to parent and why children behave the way they do influence how one actually parents and how children respond. As a parent, engaging in self-care activities and helpful thinking may result in feeling calmer and more confident. This in turn may lead to more effective parenting and child behavior.

Dr. Haack is Assistant Clinical Professor in the Hyperactivity Attention and Learning Problems (HALP) and Mood/Anxiety programs; UCSF Psychiatry Child and Adolescent Service (CAS) Division

Johnston, C., Park, J. L., & Miller, N. V. (2018). Parental cognitions: Relations to parenting and child behavior. In Handbook of Parenting and Child Development across the Lifespan (pp. 395-414).