10 Coping Strategies for Stress as an Autism Mom

As an autism mom, you will be under stress. The stress of parenting an autistic child is no joke. Autism moms have stress similar to combat soldiers. Being stressed out on a regular basis, increases your cortisol levels which is not healthy and not sustainable. Finding coping strategies for stress that you can do on a consistent basis is key.

10 Coping Strategies for Stress as an Autism Mom

1. Ask for respite.

Ask for help from a family member or close friend. Seek out a local association that offer respite services. Train a babysitter to look after your child regularly. Increase therapy sessions so that your child is engaged in learning activities and you have more time to yourself.

2. Meditate.

Meditation has always been a part of my life and I highly recommend it to calm down, remain receptive to signs and important messages and reconnect with yourself. You cannot help your child from a place of personal disconnection so making time to find your own alignment and connection needs to be a priority.

3. Join a like minded community and receive regular, free resources.

4. Regular physical exercise.

There are so many ways to add exercise into your day. Go for a walk, if you live in a city, get off the bus or subway a stop or two early and walk home. Take a yoga class. Find exercises you can do at home or at your desk during the day. If you’d like to share your yoga practice with your child, try these 6 awesome yoga poses for children with special needs.

5. Journal.

Journaling is such a valuable activity for so many reasons. It increase self-awareness. It permits you to express thoughts, concerns and joys in a regular, written form. It brings to light things you need to work on and things you need to keep doing because they are getting you the results you want.

6. Continue your self-development.

Self-development is a lifelong journey. The more we learn, the more we grow and the more tools we have in our toolboxes to get the most out of our lives. Continued self development is essential for finding your best coping strategies for stress.

If you are interested in self-development too, and particularly in managing your stress as an autism mom, make sure you read 20 Best Self-Help Books for Women.

7. Breathe deeply.

Something as simple as breathy deeply for 3-5 minutes, 2-3 times per day, will help you feel less frazzled and more in control. Feeling a lack of control and depression are often connected, so it is crucial to have specific steps to take when you are beginning to feel overwhelmed.

8. Use visualisation to create your future.

Visualize the future you want, as a women, as a wife, as a friend, as a mom… Imagine how you will feel when you are that person you want to be. If you are working on a specific skills set with your little one (for example, cutting skills) and you are feeling frustrated because you are really struggling and your child is really struggling to learn, visualize your child learning and succeeding in the cutting activity you are working on. Put yourself in the space you will be mentally when your child succeeds and you succeed as his or her teacher. This type of a visualization practice reduces stress in the present and helps you carve your own future.

9. Find that thing you love and do it regularly.

Are you a passionate reader? Horseback rider? Cook? All those things you no longer make time for because you feel responsible for being present for your child all the time, make time for it. Schedule it in your planner if you need to. You will be happier, calmer, freer woman and mom if you do. If you are happy and cal, everything you do with your child will be more effective too.

10. If you are working, make sure sure you are doing something you love.

In this day and age, there is no reason to keep doing work you don’t love. If you are an autism mom and you’re dealing with the daily trials ad tribulations of navigating motherhood, marriage, autism, you just don’t have time or energy to be in a job you hate. No one should be doing a job they hate, especially not you. Find an alternative. Go back to that list of things you love. How can you spend time doing it and get paid too?

What are your best coping strategies for stress? How do you manage stress? We want to learn from you. Let us know in the comments below!