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Wellbeing Wednesday: looking after yourself while supporting someone
Looking after yourself when supporting a friend or family member experiencing mental illness is essential to ensure that you are staying mentally and physically healthy.
Often when taking on a caring role you will put the needs of the person you care for before your own…but we are here to tell you it’s ok to look after yourself too!
We sat down with selectability special projects manager and counsellor Suzanne Bocking to understand why supporting someone can lead to burnout and find out her top five tips to look after yourself.
“It is so important that you look after your own health (mental, physical, social and emotional),” said Suz.
“When you are healthy, you will be able better care for those you are supporting – which means you will be able to keep caring for them for longer periods of time,” explains Suz.
Support people often feel the need to be strong all of the time, however this can often come at the expense of their own mental wellbeing.
“Often carers and those supporting someone with a mental health condition experience burnout.
“What we know is that by looking after yourself every day and making time for self-care you can reduce the risk of burnout.”
It’s easy for the person you are supporting to become your whole world…but as Suz offers ‘it’s also important that you are caring for yourself.’
Here are Suz’s top five tips for looking after yourself…
- Learn about the mental health condition of the person you are caring for
You don’t have to learn the whole diagnosis inside and out but think about learning a few key facts so that you can understand what the person is going through.
- Accept your feelings
Supporting someone can bring up a whole range of emotions, and you might find it difficult to accept your feelings (they may include guilt, fear and confusion). The thing is there is no predetermined way that you must feel – how you feel is how you feel.
- Don’t forget to make time for yourself
Make time to rest and recharge! You don’t have to spend a lot of money it’s more about giving yourself time for a break. Find a simple way to treat yourself away from the person you are supporting – it might be going for a walk along the beach, enjoying a coffee or reading a book.
- Make time for your physical health
It’s often hard to find time to fit exercise in along with all other things you are doing in your supporting role – but it’s so important that you are looking after yourself physically. Three simple things you can do today to improve your physical health include: eating well, sleeping well and making time to exercise (even if it’s just for 30mins).
- It’s ok to ask for help
Asking for help might be a scary thought but the truth is there are so many support services available to help ensure you are able to continue in your caring role. It’s ok to reach out and ask for help, if you don’t want to speak to a family member or friend your GP will be a good starting point.
USEFUL LINKS
selectability acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the land on which we provide services and pay our respects to Elders past, present and emerging. We acknowledge those with lived experience and those who support and partner with us to improve mental wellbeing and prevent suicide across regional Queensland.
