Today more and more people are taking on the role of carer to another person in their lives. This might take the form of caring for a family member, a life partner or a friend. The cared for person will need help if their day to day independence is limited due to such conditions as illness, disability, frailty or mental health problems.
Caring for those we are close to can be rewarding and lead to richer and deeper relationships with those we care for. Equally, very many people in our society are discovering that the role of carer can often be physically and emotionally draining, socially isolating and very stressful. Many carers struggle to juggle caring with other pressing life commitments such as work or study and this struggle can adversely impact their ability to enjoy and engage with other important areas of their lives.
Very often people assume a caring role through immediate necessity without fully realising the changes they are making, busily responding to emergencies and often too tired or overstimulated to think through what is happening for them. Then for a period of time many do not see themselves as carers, nor recognise the cost to them in terms of heightened stress and lack of time and resources for their own wellbeing needs. The stresses of caring can combine with unwelcome thoughts and powerful feelings that become hard to express along with increased relationship difficulties.
If you are a carer and feel the need for some support, do consider calling me. A series of counselling sessions can provide you with a space of your own to focus solely on your needs, which might be around how to find time for yourself, how to better manage relationship difficulties or focus on other issues that have emerged for you in this phase of your life.