Time to Vote While Parenting a Child with an Eating Disorder?

Are you wondering how you can have time to vote while parenting a child with an eating disorder? How to deal with the stress of a loved one’s eating disorder? How to manage all there is to do while being a caregiver?

Anyone who has experienced the death of a loved one knows the surreal feeling of the world not stopping. It can be like this while parenting a child with an eating disorder. Life is bountiful and when there is a crisis we may need to simply view the bounty rather than partaking in all of it.

When my daughter was first diagnosed with an eating disorder I remember thinking, “There is no way we can manage all there is to do to help her, manage our stress and fears AND do the normal life tasks of paying bills, doing errands, getting the laundry done. Much less vote!”

That is overwhelm. And what it signals is it is time to:

• Get our oxygen mask on – firmly in place in fact.
• Ask for help & Delegate.
• Practice EXTREME SELF-CARE
• Lower expectations and let some things go for a while – like dusting, it just doesn’t matter.
• Say no to some of the things we used to do (temporarily).
• Ask ourselves, “Is this essential?” If not, set it aside or say no. 

These things may seem selfish on the surface but we must make time to vote while parenting a child with an eating disorder. So many laws affect those with these brain illnesses. 

For about a year during the darkest days of our daughter’s illness we told friends and family we would not be initiating ANY social activities as we needed to be caring for someone with an eating disorder. In my book, Just Tell Her To Stop: Family Stories of Eating Disorders I share stories of people who have to pass up some invites but welcomed them anyhow.  

What would you add to this list?  If you or someone you know is struggling while parenting a child with an eating disorder you may want to check out the Hope Network, LLC caregiver tele-classes starting in December. 

Becky Henry

Founder, Hope Network, LLC