25 Ways to Look After Your Mental Health
“Lived Experiences Heard: Real Voices, Real Change”: In recognition of the theme of World Mental Health Awareness Day 2026 on 10th October and in honour of our 25 years of supporting the Duchenne Community, we’ve got 25 tips from Duchenne parents and carers, grandparents and our Support Team on how to look after your mental health.
- Go for a walk to clear my head, plus talking with someone who understands the Duchenne journey helps
- My advice would be to reach out and connect with others. There is so much strength, understanding, and support within our community.
- You matter too. You need to look after yourself so that you can look after your youngster. A regular bit of time out is really important to give you a bit of a reset so you can cope with things. Happier mums make for happier kids and families.
- You can do anything, but you can’t do everything. Especially not all at once. Don’t feel pressured to always have the answer or to fix things, no one can do that.
- You have to pace yourself a bit. There will always be loads of things to do, decide what is most important each day or week and concentrate on that.
- Think about what has helped before. When things feel difficult, it can be useful to remember previous tough periods and the people, routines or strategies that helped you through them.
- Take the help, there’s a community here for you. I learnt that I couldn’t do it all alone and by reaching out for support it made it just that bit easier to cope with.
- Listen to your body, you need rest too. However that looks to you, you need physical and mental rest.
- When things feel really overwhelming, take one day at a time, or one hour at a time, or even just the next five minutes. Focus on doing what you need to do to get through that.
- Being strong doesn’t mean doing everything by yourself. Sometimes the strongest, bravest thing you can do is ask for help. It also sets a great example to others that it’s ok to need support.
- Try to be kind to yourself. When you are dealing with something difficult, think about what you would say to a friend that was facing a similar struggle and treat yourself with the same kindness and compassion.
- It’s ok to admit that things are hard sometimes. It’s a really tough thing to deal with, you aren’t being disloyal or weak to say so. Finding things hard doesn’t mean you aren’t being a good parent or love your children any less.
- It’s ok to feel whatever you are feeling. Sometimes we can feel guilty when we are sad and guilty when we are happy but whatever you feel at any given time is ok and valid.
- Giving you best might look different day to day. Some days your best will mean you accomplish loads of things and other days your best might just be just to get out of bed. Either way you’ve still done your best, and that’s all you can do.
- Although being with others that have similar experiences can be great, it’s important to remember everyone’s experience is unique. Other families or people living with the same condition may be at a very different stage or have very different circumstances. There is no “right” way to feel or cope.
- Notice what helps you feel more like yourself. That might be music, gaming, sport, crafting, being outdoors, watching something funny, seeing friends or simply having time when Duchenne isn’t the main topic.
- Don’t wait until things feel unbearable before asking for support. Talking early to someone you trust can make it easier to manage things before they become overwhelming.
- Set boundaries where you can. It is okay to say no, step away from conversations, mute a group chat for a while, or tell people you don’t want to talk about health today.
- Sleep, food, movement, fresh air and rest all really matter, but they can be difficult when life is complicated. When things get difficult it can help to concentrate on looking after the basics and lower your expectations of yourself and family life.
- Living with uncertainty can be exhausting. Choosing what questions you want to ask, planning ahead where possible, or deciding what matters most to you can help you regain a bit of control.
- Keep talking. Parents, siblings and the person living with the condition may all be experiencing things differently. Making space for everyone’s feelings can help prevent people feeling they have to protect each other by staying silent.
- Remember that difficult emotions and feelings can exist together. Enjoying yourself, laughing or having a good day does not mean you are ignoring the difficult things.
- Ask for professional support if you need it. Support from a GP, counsellor, psychologist or another appropriate professional can be helpful, particularly if difficult feelings are lasting, worsening or interfering significantly with everyday life.
- Give yourself breaks from information. It is okay not to read every article, research update, social-media post or discussion about the condition.
- Looking after your mental health isn’t always about doing more. Sometimes it’s about giving yourself permission to do less, ask for help, set a boundary or simply acknowledge that today is hard.
We can support you and your family wherever you are in your journey. If you’d like one of our Support Team to contact you, let us know here and we will be in touch. You can also find out more about our monthly support groups and other ways that we can support you here.
