--- title: '1. Staying positive' url: 'https://nipinthebud.trilbyhost.com/toolkit/home-life/families-under-pressure/how-to-keep-positive-and-motivated' markdown: 'https://nipinthebud.trilbyhost.com/toolkit/home-life/families-under-pressure/how-to-keep-positive-and-motivated.md' date: '2026-07-16' description: 'Tip 1: Keeping positive and motivated Being a parent is a special and important role. But sometimes it can feel like a thankless task. As a person and a parent, you are special and important, and you need to look after yourself. If things are not going well with your children you can start to worry that you are not a good enough parent. It’s easy for this to turn into a negative habit of thinking which makes you lack confidence. This makes it harder to take control which often leads to children playing up more. It’s vital that you break out of this negative cycle and take the pressure off yourself. The best way to do this is – to recognise that parenting is a challenge, that some children are more difficult to parent than others, and that everyone messes up sometimes – To understand that small changes can improve matters with your child – which is what our films are about. Once you have switched into a more realistic cycle of thinking you need to look after yourself so you can keep this new sense of perspective. make sure you time out from the hurly-burly of daily life to relax and do things you enjoy and; reach out to family or friends – not just to talk about parenting – although it can be helpful if you have a person you trust. Don’t feel embarrassed to talk about the challenges you face. They will probably find it as useful as you will. Doing these things will provide a great platform for the next set of tips.' taxonomy: category: - Toolkit tag: - 'Home Life' type: - Video partner: - KCL-IOPPN --- # Tip One: Keeping positive and motivated [ Home Life ](https://nipinthebud.trilbyhost.com/results/tag:Home%20Life) [ ![King’s College London’s Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience](https://nipinthebud.trilbyhost.com/user/pages/06.about-us/03.partners/kings-college-londons-institute-of-psychiatry-psychology-and-neuroscience/kcl-ioppn.jpg) ](https://nipinthebud.trilbyhost.com/about-us/partners/kings-college-londons-institute-of-psychiatry-psychology-and-neuroscience "Content by King’s College London’s Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience") Duration: 0h 0m 43s Published: May 2020 ## Tip 1: Keeping positive and motivated Being a parent is a special and important role. But sometimes it can feel like a thankless task. As a person and a parent, you are special and important, and you need to look after yourself. - If things are not going well with your children you can start to worry that you are not a good enough parent. - It’s easy for this to turn into a negative habit of thinking which makes you lack confidence. This makes it harder to take control which often leads to children playing up more. - It’s vital that you break out of this negative cycle and take the pressure off yourself. The best way to do this is – to recognise that parenting is a challenge, that some children are more difficult to parent than others, and that everyone messes up sometimes – - To understand that small changes can improve matters with your child – which is what our films are about. Once you have switched into a more realistic cycle of thinking you need to look after yourself so you can keep this new sense of perspective. - make sure you time out from the hurly-burly of daily life to relax and do things you enjoy and; - reach out to family or friends – not just to talk about parenting – although it can be helpful if you have a person you trust. Don’t feel embarrassed to talk about the challenges you face. They will probably find it as useful as you will. Doing these things will provide a great platform for the next set of tips. --- Was this helpful? 0 0 Share: [ Previous Post](https://nipinthebud.trilbyhost.com/toolkit/home-life/families-under-pressure/managing-negative-feelings) [Next Post ](https://nipinthebud.trilbyhost.com/toolkit/home-life/families-under-pressure/the-importance-of-everyone-knowing-whats-expected-of-them) #### Other Related Posts: ![](https://nipinthebud.trilbyhost.com/user/pages/03.toolkit/03.home-life/tips-for-parents/what-to-do-when-your-child-has-ptsd-tips-for-parents/children-and-ptsd.jpg) ### Video: What to do when your child has PTSD: Tips for Parents [Video: What to do when your child has PTSD: Tips for Parents](https://nipinthebud.trilbyhost.com/toolkit/home-life/tips-for-parents/what-to-do-when-your-child-has-ptsd-tips-for-parents) A traumatic event can be difficult for a child to understand and process, and it can be challenging for parents and carers trying to support them. 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