Carer’s stress; spot it before it harms you
The first and most important thing about stress is to recognise it. It’s when you’re under pressure and feel unable to cope. That starts to affect the way you think, your sleep, your digestion—everything about your daily life. You get angry and impatient.
The second most important thing is to talk about it. It might feel bad to say out loud that caring for someone dependent on you is getting you down, but if your listener knows you and understands, they will know that you are not a bad person.
“Being a carer is a big job at the best of times, even if things are going well. ”
Being a carer is a big job at the best of times even if things are going well. And sometimes they don’t go well. In conversation with someone else you may discover sources of help that you didn’t know about that will take some of the pressure off you. You may even find that just talking about it out loud makes you feel better. People sometimes feel stressed because they feel they should be doing more than they already are. Ideas in my book for reducing effort and increasing income might help.
Celebrate small victories when you make it through another day. Don’t be too hard on yourself. Accept that you have done your best and no one can do any better than that. Focus on what you can control and don’t worry about what you can’t. Take any help that will reduce your carer burden, but remember to be specific and ask for the help you need.
In short
Spot stress
Talk to someone
Ask for help
