My daughter is home now...I picked her up yesterday. You know I was really excited to see her and she ran into my arms. I decided to keep her home from school today because there was some things we had to do before she went back to school.
I really hope she will try and change. And as long as she is trying that's good enough for me. But today was just like the old days of me raising my voice. I decided I would make up a schedule just like they suggested. It seemed to calm her down a bit. I just hope she will try and follow through.
Thanks everyone for your prayers and thoughts. It really really helped!
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Comments: 38
I'll keep you in my
prayers... every day it will get better...
Blessings on your whole family...
Just make sure your son is safe.
I'm praying for all of you.
I will keep praying for your family!
Good luck and God Bless.
My prayers are with you & your family~
A schedule sounds like a GREAT plan--- more structure is great for children and adolescents-- and even adults have schedules for work, etc. So, keep in mind- its NOT just kids / adolescents we're talkin! ;) Schedules are good for everyone-- a busy parent, a college student, a person in the work field, etc. It helps everyone. Keeping track of accomplishments and goals accomplished are also good-- will improve self esteem, self image and self behavior. I noticed keeping a schedule or doing similar stuff each day keeps me more calm and as less, stress free.
I have been diagnosed as Bipolar Disorder-- and don't get me wrong, I've had it rough and was so strung out that I use to try to constantly non-stop try to commit suicide. I was so on an emotional roller coaster, that I didn't know what I wanted in my life. I didn't have any coping skills (POSITIVE ones) in place and it was hard, that I couldn't find out what calmed me down, but over time, I learned what calms me.
*Reading a magazine
* Taking a shower
* Chatting online on Gather, keeping myself busy
* Rocking back and forth (I know it may seem odd, but hey, I'm not hurting myself!). ;)
* Going for a walk (relaxes my nervous system, muscles being tense while stressed, etc).
* Washing clothes
* Talking to someone when I feel stressed out - someone I trust at the moment, such as a parent (my mom or dad), my soon to be husband, or anyone.
* Playing with my nieces-- having fun- playing a card game- it takes my mind off things! Your daughter could try card games or doing something productive to reduce her stress such as myself.
* Riding my bicycle
*Writing poetry or writing articles on Gather
Believe me, I have more than these for coping skills--and it helps.. It really does. Once you find that calming nitch-- you're almost in Heaven. No it still won't relieve ALL stress, anxiety, but it will put it on ease, where you won't explode (go into a rage) or do anything irrational...
Some suggestions:
Keep a schedule- ITS VITAL and important for aNyOne!
Monitor medicines if she is on any. Make sure she takes them and if she is having problems, ask her and have her report back to what what symptoms she is having. If medicine is causing her heart to race or have problems-- MAKE Sure she tells you this. I had this problem with a few medicines and its important that her psychiatrist, you, and anyone in her support system know. Try a smaller dosage starting off- if it works, good, if not, then try adjusting. Make sure the medicine does NOT make her TOO tired and drained- as being depressed, you have this -- so how is a med helping when you're too drained from a med to do anything? It has to be a good match-- make sure it is. As a parent, its important you monitor it closely... if she is doing well on a smaller dosage- maybe you could wean her off-- SLOWLY as she learns POSITIVE coping skills, but make sure she's practiced these daily and has it as sorta a ritual. If on a bigger dosage and you see improvement- her doctor could slowly wean her off- going to smaller dosages, etc., when she is coping and using those good skills in place.
Don't forget--- family counseling. Very important. It will help most of the family come to an agreement or what to do in emergencies - a safety plan to keep herself and others safe. What everyone can do to make the family less stressful -- make sure that she doesn't feel that its JUST about her and that everyone has to work as a team- its not her that has to do all the work-- if you make her feel like she's the one that has to make improvement and NO one else- it won't work.. sorry! It just won't work. Never did for me growing up - my father would drink and go back to his ways (yelling) and it just never made it less stressful- it was back to the OLD things happening and the same situation arising- hospital stay. EVERYONE needs to work at something. No one is perfect. And everyone has things they gotta work on about themselves. Everyone SHOULD have goals TOO! Very important.
So far, I've mentioned, Counseling, goal setting, a schedule, and medicine monitoring--these are all important.
Make sure that its FAIR in the household and that everyone has to do chores too--this will make it less stressful on her and be equal and fair ans will make mother and father better role models.
Good luck!
Best wishes,
Michelle
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