stress > dealing-with-stress

future, the health of the person you care for or the activities of other members of the family, or you may feel guilty – another common source of stress.

Stress can strain relations, and it's not just your relationship with the person you are caring for that can be affected. For example, caring for an elderly parent can place enormous strain on a marriage because of the continual stress experienced by the carer and the perceived lack of support from your partner.

Dealing with stress

No matter how well you deal with your caring role there will inevitably come a time when you experience higher than normal levels of stress. To enable you to continue your caring role effectively – and to ensure your own health does not suffer – it is important to try and deal with your stress.

Possible ways of doing this are:

Using friends and family for discussion and support
Using the carers' boards on this site in the community section to talk to other carers, or attending local support groups of carers
Taking through situation with appropriate professionals face-to-face or by telephone
Seeking help and advice from GPs, pharmacists and other health professionals you may know

Taking time out to do what you want to do is very difficult when you are a carer, but it is extremely important. For some ideas to help you get some quality time for yourself click here.

(published with permission in writing from:http://www.carers.org)