There was a study done on special needs mothers and what they discovered was truly astonishing. The study showed that special needs mothers had the same level of stress as combat soldiers. Being a special needs mother for the past 22 years, I could clearly relate to the constant stress, worry, and anxiety of the unknown which is often associated with raising a special needs child.
After years of connecting with other parents of neurodiverse/special needs children, I realized that we all had one thing in common, we often sacrificed our own mental and physical well being to take care of our children. We did not practice “self-care”
At 49, I was diagnosed with colon cancer. It was a wake up call like no other. I finally realized that I had to not only care for my daughter, but also take time out to care for myself. Self-care is such a crucial component of being healthy enough to care for
