Additional Needs
Caring for carers
by Sharon F
on 10th June, 2024
Be Kind to Yourself, and Others
As a human, I have always believed that being kind to others is a simple action that can make everyone’s day a little bit easier. After all, you don’t know what other people may be dealing with.
As most of my friends (online and in person) experience more than their fair share of difficulty and sadness due to illness and/or disability, it seems that this is a mindset a lot of us have. After all, when you’ve walked through Hell and back you tend to recognise others who have experienced similar – the gallows humour that has us howling laughing while others give us odd looks is sufficient on its own to mark us out as somewhat different!
It’s a known issue that carers, parent-carers especially, have a habit of ignoring their own wellbeing due to being so busy caring for everyone else.
Recently I found myself forced to slow down and take my own health seriously. While our GPs have always been incredible and understood the impact caring for the Dude has had on our health, there has been the occasional blip.
When a few minutes late for a nurse appointment because the Dude had been in a prolonged seizure, being told off like a child for ‘wasting their time’ being late had the effect of making me feel small, inadequate and considering abandoning the appointment altogether.
Not really what was needed when I was already feeling thoroughly worthless and pretty poorly.
If someone had spoken to my son, or best friend, like that I would have been ready to stand my ground and to insist that they received the care they required. It’s ridiculous that we will advocate for our loved ones until our last breath, we will go head to head with consultants, surgeons and funding bodies, yet we don’t consider ourselves worthy of that same commitment.
It’s time that changed folks. Our children and loved ones need us to be well, mentally and physically. They need us to look after our health so we are able to look after them. Although it may not seem like it (I’m looking at you, rain clouds), spring is indeed in full swing and there’s no better time than to indulge in some shameless self-care by spending time surrounded by nature. Spend a bit of time marvelling at the bees, or watching ladybirds scuttling about. I promise it will do you the world of good. And always, be kind to yourself as well as to others.
