To family and friends who help us

[19581979]

HiThis post is a bit different from me. Those who have read any posts I've written know I have health conditions that like all of us we have to get on with no matter how much they suck.

The side most people know about me where I live is that I'm a family carer. I have been a carer for different family members for most of my. I don't regret it it is part of who I am. Probably makes me the worst cared for ever though, so have some sympathy for my nearest and dearest please.

The reason I'm writing this is as a reminder to family carers that to look after us they need to look after themselves.

It is really easy not giving yourself time to sleep or relax or even have a few minutes peace and quiet. To not eat regular meals, to finish leftovers rather than have a sit down meal, to eat comfort food. To feel guilty for spending time and a little money on making yourself feel special for a while. It's easy to get anxious and stressed, and feel out of control and always on duty, to feel like a carer not a wife, mother, husband, brother, son etcetera. It is easier to take a pain killer rather than see a doctor, dentist etcetera.

Sometimes going to work is your only escape, but when do you actually look after you and have a bit of special time for you?

Unfortunately, the long term affect is likely to do you harm health wise, it can isolate you and make caring a real challenge for you and the person you are caring for.

If you won't look after yourself for you, do it for the person you care for and your family. They need you and a happy, healthy you is good for them. If you can get other family members and friends to help even for a few minutes. Also, although we might gripe, a lot of us who need support like to feel useful where we can.

Learn from my mistake, I had lots of reasons to ignore my health, too busy working and caring and stressing and not looking after me. I learnt too late, that even just a few little changes could have helped me a lot. Who knows, taking better care of my diet might have reduced my liver, and cholesterol problems. Moving and handling and posture management might have stopped my spinal cord injury from happening as it was a compression that went wrong. Learning to relax even for a few minutes might have reduced my blood pressure. It might have helped me to sleep better. It probably would have made me a better family carer and more fun to be with for my family.

We need family and friends carers, they are the backbone in the caring community, please look after yourselves, you are important.