In this episode, I’m speaking directly to the parent who is quietly struggling while their teen or adult child is in crisis. Whether it’s mental illness, self-harm, substance use, dropping out of school, or emotional instability, I know how heavy this can feel.

We talk about the guilt, shame, exhaustion, and overwhelm that often go unspoken. I share my own experience navigating this season of life and why the first real shift doesn’t start with fixing your child — it starts with turning the lens inward.

This episode is about self-compassion, recognizing the ego and fear that protect us from uncomfortable truths, and becoming aware of the inner dialogue running in the background. When we begin there, we build the steadiness we need to support our children without losing ourselves in the process.

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Episode Highlights: parenting a teen with mental illness, adult child mental health crisis, parent guilt and shame, parenting through self-harm, suicidal teen support for parents, overwhelmed parent, parenting burnout, emotional dysregulation in parents, conscious parenting, turning the lens inward, letting go of parent guilt, supporting a struggling child

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What You’ll Learn in This Episode

• Why guilt and self-blame show up so strongly when your child is struggling

• How ego and fear can keep you stuck in avoidance or denial

• Why your child is not choosing to suffer for attention

• The importance of recognizing the “programming” running in the background of your own mind

• How self-compassion and awareness are the foundation for helping your child

• Why internal work must come before external solutions

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Chapters

00:00 – Speaking Parent to Parent

01:57 – You’re Not the Only One

03:08 – You Matter Too

05:14 – When Parents Become Resentful

07:43 – Choosing the Long Haul

08:28 – The Weight of Shame and Exhaustion

10:40 – Understanding the Ego

12:11 – Releasing Guilt

13:36 – They Aren’t Choosing to Suffer

15:33 – The Programming in the Background

18:22 – Changing the Inner Narrative

22:52 – Internal First, External Second

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⭐If this episode resonated with you, I invite you to subscribe and continue this journey with me. In future episodes, I’ll share personal reflections, practical tools, and conversations with other parents who are walking a similar path.

You don’t have to do this alone. Let’s turn the lens inward, together.