When you look after YOUR emotional well-being FIRST, your cup will be full to help support and build your child’s well-being.

To build your emotional well-being – to have a stronger mental health, you need to develop an accurate self-concept.

Whether you are a stay-at-home parent/carer or a working parent/carer, patience can likely be depleted by the end of the day, sometimes even by lunchtime. But we know that supporting children’s growth and development is a major part of a life as a parent. But not being ‘full’ in our emotional tank can affect our parenting practices and the way we connect and interact with our child.

Don’t be short on the patience and joy that you started with at the beginning of the day, because by the end of the day you just had enough.

We don’t always understand what, how and why children act as they do. And if the relationship and interactions between parents and children continue along a negative path it becomes draining to both parents and children, impacting everyone’s well-being.

You can empower all your voices – you and your child. This means understanding each other’s behaviour, feelings and words.

STRENGTHENED FOUNDATIONS

Having a ‘voice’ is at the foundations of ACTVoices. This is our core values, because with a ‘voice’ builds everything else and strengthens the foundations of one’s life.

With a ‘voice’ builds reciprocal respect of oneself and others. As you build on this foundation – a strengthened foundation, each individual is able to build a strong emotional well-being, which then shapes a confident self-identity.

I BELIEVE IN MY VOICE – I believe in myself.

By having an empowered voice, children, parents and carers will grow to believe that they are valued.

When they continue to listen to their voice, they soon believe in their voice. With the belief in themselves this builds self-esteem (ie. self-worth/self-value) and when this is combined with self-efficacy (i.e. a belief in one’s capacity or competence to handle, perform and succeed at tasks) this builds a stronger emotional well-being because you have an accurate self-concept (i.e. belief about oneself) that tells oneself that: “I can…” and “I am….”, versus “I can’t…” or “I’m not….”.

Although it might seem that talking and listening is not significant, at ACTivatingVoices, the ‘VOICES’ is what drives the success for families and children.

‘VOICES’ are the words, thoughts, and ideas a person has. And it is about each person realising that they have the right to share their ‘voice’, to have their ‘voice’ listened to and respected by others – both adults and children. This is having an EMPOWERED VOICE.

WHEN ADULTS… ARE EMPOWERED WITH A ‘VOICE’, they feel that they are listened to, valued, respected, important, and in control. This will contribute to building a stronger social-emotional well-being.

Furthermore, this will positively influence the home climate/environment where family functioning and interactions between adults and between adults and children are positive. As a result, relationships with children will most certainly improve with better quality interactions characterised by mutual respect and trust.

That’s why, along with providing one-on-one support on effective practices, inclusive to your tailored family support program, there is support for you and your well-being. We will be a sounding board for reflection and self-growth with your time with us.

I AM CONFIDENT – I accept myself for ‘who I am’.

When you use and listen to your voice, then believe in your voice, it becomes a reality, so much so that you start to live your beliefs and you accept yourself for who you are.

When you are heard, you can then enable others in the family to feel and be listened to, to be understood. This builds relationships, connections and community – these being the mission of ACTVoices.

BUT HOW? Shape your identity.

When you are bombarded with different ‘voices’ from yourself and others this can affect your emotional well-being – your mental health. But when you accept yourself for who you are and reflect on your self-esteem and self-efficacy, you will experience transformational change that will impact you, your child and your household.

So, stop telling yourself “I can’t…”, “I’m not…”, “I’m not like…” – Stop comparing yourself.

Stop listening to the ‘voices’ (voices you hear people say of you and the voices that you think you hear).

Instead, accept yourself, and tell yourself:

      • “I’m doing the best I can”, “What works for me won’t always work for others and others won’t always understand that… and that’s okay”.
      • “Who cares what other people say or think about me – they don’t have the right to judge me”.
      • “I’m making the best choices and decisions for my child and family, the best I can and I will not be made to feel bad”.