When carers ignore their own wellbeing and don’t look after themselves, they can suffer from:
- Physical exhaustion
- Emotional exhaustion
- Spiritual exhaustion
- Stress-related problems such as:
- Heart disease
- High blood pressure
- Increased infections
- Depression
- Poor sleep
- Poor diet
Symptoms of stress
Let’s take a look at stress. Check-in with yourself and click on any words below that you have experienced in the last week or so. It is worth noting if you are feeling any of these stress symptoms. We can take a look at what to do about them in the next section.
Sometimes carers think,
- “I feel guilty if I leave them…”
- “I am afraid to leave them…”
- “They can’t be without me. I need to be here all the time…”
- “Their needs are greater than mine…”
It is better to ask yourself: “How can I be the carer I want to be when I am exhausted, tired or sick?”
In the next few pages, we will explore ways to take care of yourself.