Webinar: Finding Calm in the Life You Already Live

Finding Calm in the Life You Already Live
Webinar Recording with Emma McDonnell

What if finding calm didn’t mean changing your life – but changing how you experience it?

Parenting a child with a PDA profile can leave you feeling like you’re constantly on high alert. Between co-regulating your child, advocating for support and managing endless demands, it’s easy to lose sight of your own wellbeing. Traditional self-care advice often feels unrealistic when you’re simply trying to get through the day.

In this compassionate and practical webinar, Emma McDonnell – parent of two autistic children, including one with a PDA profile, and a neurodivergent parent herself – shares the tools that helped her recover from burnout and build a calmer, more compassionate relationship with the life she was already living.

Rather than offering unrealistic solutions or expecting you to overhaul your routine, Emma introduces simple, evidence-informed practices that fit into the reality of family life. Through lived experience, practical guidance and gentle encouragement, she shows how small changes to your mindset and nervous system can make a meaningful difference to both you and your family.

In this Webinar, you will explore:

• Why parents of PDA children are especially vulnerable to chronic stress and burnout
• How your nervous system responds to prolonged pressure—and what you can do to support it
• Practical ways to quiet your inner critic and develop more compassionate self-talk
• Simple affirmations and daily practices that help build resilience over time
• Grounding techniques you can use when you feel overwhelmed or on the edge
• How understanding your stress responses (fight, flight, freeze and fawn) can help you respond more calmly
• Why co-regulation starts with looking after your own wellbeing
• The power of radical acceptance and letting go of unrealistic expectations
• How to notice and embrace small moments of joy, even during difficult times
• Using your personal values as a guide to reconnect with yourself and reclaim small moments of autonomy

If you’ve been running on empty, feeling overwhelmed or wondering how much longer you can keep going, this webinar is for you. You’ll leave with practical tools, renewed perspective and the reassuring reminder that you matter too—and that finding calm begins with small, achievable steps within the life you already live.

Who Is This Webinar For?

This webinar is ideal for:

• • Parents and carers of PDA children and young people
  • Families experiencing burnout, overwhelm or chronic stress
  • Parents wanting practical wellbeing strategies that genuinely fit their lives
  • Anyone supporting a PDA family who wants to better understand the emotional impact of caregiving

Guest links:

www.emma-mcdonnell.com

Facebook and Instagram – @theemmamcdonnell

Further sources of support & information

PDA Society podcasts:
https://training.pdasociety.org.uk/pda-podcasts/

PDA Society Training:
https://www.pdasociety.org.uk/support-and-training/training/

PDA Society Support Service: https://www.pdasociety.org.uk/support-and-training/support/

You can also find our Facebook support groups here