Topic Tuesday // Self Care for Carers // Tues 20th July, 7:00-8:30PM AEST

@SJT63 Yes I used to feel constantly guilty. I guess I learned to be flexible in finding times for self care. I get my mum all settled in her day or evening and I "steal" self care moments wherever I can. But I've had days where I've really needed to deal with my own MI issues but just have had to suck it up and get her settled first. Thankfully she goes to bed early so a lot of my self care is of an evening once she's asleep.

BB 🐰💙

Question 3: Carers on the forums talk about burnout and fatigue, and this is something so many people here can relate to. Self care can be one way that we slow the impact of burnout.

What ideas do you have to prevent burnout and fatigue? What can we put in place to prevent getting to a point of breakdown?

Question 3: Carers on the forums talk about burnout and fatigue, and this is something so many people here can relate to. Self care can be one way that we slow the impact of burnout.

What ideas do you have to prevent burnout and fatigue? What can we put in place to prevent getting to a point of breakdown?

Caregiver Burnout Prevention
here are some tips to help you pre-empt caregiver burnout.

• Ask for help! Needing help doesn’t make you a bad caregiver. It simply means you can’t do it alone (no one can do it alone).
• Give yourself permission to take breaks. Get out of the house. Visit with friends. Pamper yourself with a massage. Take a long bath.
• Take care of yourself. Don’t skip your own doctor’s appointments because you’re too busy. Exercise, eat well and get enough sleep.
• Get up 15 minutes earlier and use the time just for you. Sit with your coffee or tea and enjoy it. Journal about your struggles and feelings. Meditate, pray, stretch. . . . Do whatever you want to do.
• Make a list of your daily activities and tasks. See if you can delegate any of them. Perhaps your spouse can make dinner twice or a week. Maybe a friend or relative can run errandsor help with laundry. People often want to help—take them up on it!
• Check into family-leave benefits from your place of work. Take a huge weight off your shoulders by giving you more hours in your day.
• If your loved one is receiving hospice care, ask your hospice provider about local support groups. Communicating with others who are in your situation helps immensely, as does opening up and sharing your frustrations—and your joys!
• If an opportunity comes along for a brief getaway for you, consider hospice respite care for your loved one. Your hospice program should offer short-term inpatient admission for your loved one (meaning more than 24 hours and up to five days and nights maximum) to relieve family members or other persons who are caregivers.

@bipolarbunny @SJT63 ,

I think this is also important for parents with young children - that self-care time is so important. Just time out for yourself when the kids have (hopefully) gone to bed.

I agree. It sort of needs to be something that is non-negotiable

Self care is definitely a major way of preventing burnout. I feel like ‘maintenance self care’, that is standard activities you do all the time, is integral. If I don’t make it out for a walk or don’t have the opportunity to wind down, I notice and feel the difference.

What ideas do you have to prevent burnout and fatigue? What can we put in place to prevent getting to a point of breakdown?

Ive learnt to say 'NO' to people. I used to bend over backwards for people, but now I can say 'NO' in order to reduce the likelihood of burnout or fatigue.

Very true @BPDSurvivor , i remember when my 4 step children were little

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@znp wrote:
a) It's constant and front of mind as much as I can make it.
b) I build routines - morning: take meds, eat banana, make coffee, meditate, then complete my journal where I list:
1. something I will read or write that day
2. a self-care skill I will use (often CBT based but not always)
3. self-nurturing I will do - and this is important, even if it's just I will listen to my favourite song while I sit on couch
Then in evening, more journal:
1. what did I achieve today (made the bed!)
2. what did I learn today (how to draw dragons)
3. what can I improve (validating my family)
4. what can I plan for tomorrow (take dog to vet)
5. what skill or strategy can I use to cope (hug the dog mindfully)

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Some great self care routines you have there @znp!