REAL LIFE: “I’m a mum of three autistic boys and this is how I boost my mental resilience”
“It honestly feels like we have had a newborn baby for nearly nine years.”
Kathrine Peereboom a mother of three severely autistic non-verbal boys and founder of Spectrum Support. According to the autism and vulnerable persons advocate, one of the biggest challenges for parents is maintaining your sanity and energy levels.
“Parents these days are finding life tough. Not only are we having to support our family and kids through difficult times, we are also trying to maintain our relationship with our partner. Throw into this mix special needs kids and things become extra complicated and exhausting,” says Kathrine.
“Nothing in life can prepare you for the joy of becoming a parent. My husband and I have three boys aged eight, seven and six. Our boys are profoundly autistic, non-verbal and have additional health issues. The challenges we have as a family have my husband and I feeling like we operate at 65 percent most days. Sleep deprivation is still a part of our daily life. It honestly feels like we have had a newborn baby for nearly nine years.
“We also run two businesses. Constant tiredness and exhaustion has dominated our lives. But during COVID, I decided to change things. I started undertaking research to develop our own approach to keeping our lives energised, day in and day out. This has helped us to keep our relationship strong and our lives as parents and working professionals highly productive and rewarding as well. Without this, we would be falling apart.
“We call it the ‘Peereboom Effect’ – a program of activities, nutrients and focus that helps to keep us upbeat, energised, happy and engaged. It has also boosted our mental resilience and improved our capacity to cope with things.”
Kathrine with her husband and three boys, aged six, seven and eight.
Kathrine Peereboom shares her top 5 tips for boosting mental resilience
1. Diet changes
“We have changed our diet up to include energy-boosting foods. Instead of toast in the morning, we now have oatmeal, bananas and yoghurt,” says Kathrine.
“We have removed heavy carb foods from our diet and replaced them with foods that are rich in good fats such as fish and avocados. We also eat more eggs. They are versatile and packed with protein, which means they provide steady and sustained energy. They also contain leucine, an amino acid that stimulates energy production in the body.
“The diet changes have made a huge difference to our energy levels and general overall health and wellbeing.”
2. Date nights
“We have also added some fun into our lives. We now undertake a date night every week. We don’t go out, we date in. We spoil each other with a fantastic three-course meal once a week.
“There are no exceptions and no rainchecks. We share the cooking and we light a candle at the table. We put the boys to bed and have our dinner together. We agree each week on what we will cook and ensure that the meal is fabulous. We even pair the meal with wine. It has become an important ritual that we both look forward to. Adding activities to your life that bring you joy and improve your mood rejuvenate energy levels and mental stamina.”
Kathrine and her husband schedule an at-home date night once a week.
3. Get into nature
“Moving is important and exercise is essential for good health, but when you are locked up in a house or office all day, the last thing you feel like doing is exercising inside.
“We now take our family out every weekend and we go walking through nature parks. It is healthy to breathe in fresh air and reconnect with nature. Fresh air is good for our brain, lungs and overall health. It also helps to clear the mind.
“Since we have started walking outdoors every weekend, we have noticed a significant improvement in our overall health and wellbeing. We feel fresher, more energised and happier. Our boys love it too.”
4. Adding supplements
“I researched long and hard to find the right supplement to add to our daily routine. I chose Renovatio Mental Resilience chewable tablets.
“Since taking the tablets, we have found that our thinking is clearer, our capacity to cope with stress is better and our moods have stabilised. Mental tiredness is one of the most challenging things we have to deal with as parents as even though we are tired, we still have to function at work and home.”
5. Read books
“We are now reading every week. So many people think reading a physical book is old school, but we have reconnected with paperback books and we are loving them.
“Reading is such a wonderful relaxing activity and when you read from a book rather than a screen it removes the blue light associated stress on your eyes and your brain.”
Founded by Katherine Peereboom in 2017, Spectrum Support is a national organisation committed to improving through training and education – awareness and support for, and the quality of public and private services provided to, autistic Australians and those living with other special needs.
