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The Importance Of Looking After Yourself, When You’re A Caregiver
I became a care giver for my friend when I was seventeen. She had a number of mental and physical health issues, which limited her ability to do things. I cared for her for fifteen years, right up until she passed away.
I DID PRETTY MUCH EVERYTHING FOR HER
By the end, I did pretty much everything for her. I prepared food, cleaned, dressed her. I even rolled her cigarettes (even though I don’t smoke myself).
Pretty much, my whole waking thoughts were taken up with her wants and needs. I was constantly thinking about what she might need next, trying to predict it, so that I could have it ready.
Although I know she did appreciate me, there were times when her illness made her quite difficult to live with, and although I tried to always be there, there were times when that wasn’t possible.
IT CONSUMES YOU
In those moments where I wasn’t able to be there, I felt a crippling kind of guilt. I knew what was needed, and the fact that I couldn’t provide it, ate away at me.
The thing with becoming a caregiver, is that it can and will consume your whole life. It…
