Mental Health

Parenting a Leaving Cert Student?

| Sally O'Reilly
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Ahhh the stress… Poor things.

And so I wrote this piece for FamilyFriendly parenting website – click to read it. But FIRST I’d like to say this:

Stress is not only normal, but essential, despite our modern distaste for uncomfortable emotions. Good #Mentalhealth is not the absence of #stress, it is the better management of stress.


We cannot eradicate or sanitise exam stress for our children – nor should we. It’s a part of life, much as we hate to bear witness to it!

And in case you missed it I posted this piece for students themselves a couple of weeks ago – a teen in your life might find it helpful!

Stressed out Student
Sttttrrrrresssss

Watch this space for more in the lead up and aftermath of the state exams.

Good luck to all!!

#parenting #leavingcert2019 #managingstress #resilience#tipsforstress #coping #wemustntraisecottonwoolkids

What’s a boundary anyway?!

Quote | | Sally O'Reilly
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We’re trying to buy a house at the moment and there’s been a lot of talk about boundaries. It’s a word I just can’t seem to get away from at the moment! Maps, walls, elections, referendums, therapy … Clear boundaries are crucial to smooth transactions, good legislation, good mental health – the list is long. And gets longer the more you think about it!

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“Not puréeing your loved ones – that’s the tricky part!” – Basil Fawlty

| Sally O'Reilly
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OK, so a lot of us will be joining family for ‘The Dinner’. And for a lot of us that’s super cool and lovely and something we look forward to and truly relish.

[bctt tweet=”For some of us though, that dinner is the most ‘Hell’ part of Christmas. Sitting with, eating with and spending time with people that drive us nuts, push our buttons, trigger us….at worst, we are sitting with people that are harmful.” username=”psychosal” prompt=”tweet to another dinner eater”]

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Why I won’t sell vouchers for therapy

| Sally O'Reilly
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First the super good news: people are asking for Christmas gift therapy vouchers again this year and I think that’s amazing. It’s a sure sign that mental wellbeing is being taken more seriously than ever before and that therapy is being normalised. When I first started out in private practice this was one of my dreams and honestly, I didn’t think we’d get here.

But here we are!

[bctt tweet=”That said, I won’t sell vouchers for therapy. And here’s why: #therapyvouchers #therapy #selfcare #christmasgifts #boundaries #relationships” username=”psychosal”]

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We’re all gone Mango Mad!

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I was talking my niece who lives in Australia last week. We whatsapp regularly which is great, but we have only small windows during which we’re both awake and alert enough to be super witty and entertain each other – or indeed support each other as the need arises. (We’re only 8 years apart for anyone who might be concerned I’m leaning on a child for my entertainment and emotional needs!)

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More of our girls die by suicide than on mainland Europe – why?

Teen girl
Quote | | Sally O'Reilly
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“Are you f*&king serious?” she asks me, looking at me in that angry / scared / amused way that only teens can do. I like this girl, this young woman. She’s valiant, honest and has a righteous rage.

I am serious I tell her. Really serious.

Moments earlier she’d whipped out her phone to show me an article that she read on the way to my office. The grim headline read: Ireland has the highest rate in Europe for young girls taking their own lives

And I had asked her why she thought this was the case.

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Are you a good enough Mother?

Three tulips
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[bctt tweet=”SPOILER ALERT!!! If you’re concerned about this then answer is yes… #mothersday #parenting” username=”psychosal” prompt= “tweet to fellow mum”]

A friend and I used to write a blog together a few years ago now and this is where this post originally appeared –  on Mother’s Day, 2015 (feels like last year – 2 years tops!!) Not a whole lot has changed since then when it comes to parenting and the gnawing fear of not getting it right (whatever “right” is!!). We are acutely aware of how much judgement is out there, and how it seeps into moms’ heads and hearts.

 

So for the day that’s in it, here it is again:

Ah, Mothers Day – a day to celebrate all that is Mother (or Mom,  Mommy, Mama, Mam, Mum, or “*grunts!!” – depending on how your offspring refer to you).

We all know that parenting is one of the most demanding and difficult jobs there are – and there’s no training! (What’s that about?!).  As you can imagine, there are lots of parents out there fretting, wondering if they’re doing it ‘right’.

If you’ve clicked on this you’re probably a mother (or know a mother), so we’ve devised a super-scientific questionnaire based on our collective 40 years’ personal and professional experience to help to decide whether or not you’re a ‘good’ mother.

Ready?

Here we go – be honest now!

PART 1: AM I NORMAL?

 

 

 

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