5 Steps to Help with Parental Stress (Plus: Local Support That's Available Now
If you've ever snapped at your kids over something small, stared at the ceiling at 2am running through your to-do list, or felt like you were running on empty before the day even started — you're not alone, and you're not failing.
According to the American Psychological Association, nearly half of all parents say that most days their stress feels completely overwhelming — and that was before you factor in the very specific pressures of parenting a child with anxiety, ADHD, behavioral challenges, or a feeding disorder.
The Kids Mental Health Foundation (a program of Nationwide Children's Hospital) recently published a helpful, practical guide: 5 Steps to Help with Parental Stress. We recommend it to Columbus-area families and want to highlight the key points here — because parental wellbeing and children's mental health are not separate things. They're the same conversation.
Here's a quick summary of their five steps:
Step 1: Find the Cause. Stress happens when your current resources — energy, time, support — feel insufficient for what's being asked of you. Before you can address it, you have to name it. What's actually driving the overwhelm?
Step 2: Be Kind to Yourself. This means talking to yourself the way you'd talk to a friend — acknowledging what you're doing well, and noticing when your thoughts are getting stuck in a negative loop that's bringing your mood down. The Foundation offers a free downloadable worksheet to help with this.
Step 3: Come Up with a Plan. Small, practical changes — like laying out clothes the night before or building a morning routine — can meaningfully reduce daily stress. The goal is identifying what you can control.
Step 4: Fill Your Cup. Even five to fifteen minutes of something restorative — a walk, a text to a friend, a song you love — counts as a real break. Intentional small moments of joy every day make a difference over time.
Step 5: Get Support. Connecting with other adults is genuinely good for your mental health — and reaching out often helps others feel safe enough to open up too. This might mean a community group, a spiritual organization, or a book club. And sometimes, it means working with a professional.
When Self-Help Isn't Enough — and That's Okay
The five steps above are genuinely useful. But for many parents in Central Ohio, the stress isn't just general life pressure — it's the specific, relentless weight of raising a child who is struggling. If your child is dealing with anxiety, behavioral challenges, ADHD, OCD, or a feeding disorder, your stress has a specific source. And it deserves specific support.
We know that other systems often have wait times of several months for pediatric behavioral health services. That gap is real, and it leaves families in limbo precisely when they need help most.
COPBH exists, in part, to close that gap.
Central Ohio Pediatric Behavioral Health is a Westerville-based practice founded by Dr. Parker Huston — a pediatric psychologist who spent years working within those same systems before building an independent practice designed to be more accessible. We offer:
Shorter wait times for pediatric behavioral health services
Specialized care in anxiety, ADHD, OCD, feeding disorders, and behavioral challenges
Services for children, adolescents, and the families supporting them
A team that coordinates with your child's pediatrician and school when needed
If you've been waiting months for an appointment elsewhere, or if you're not sure where to start, we encourage you to reach out. A first call costs nothing, and you don't have to keep waiting.
And in the meantime, bookmark the Kids Mental Health Foundation's full resource library at kidsmentalhealthfoundation.org — it's one of the best free collections of evidence-backed mental health guidance for Columbus families.