When someone we love is struggling, it’s only natural to want to help and provide support and care to that person. Being a carer for a close friend, family member or partner can be a rewarding experience but also difficult and upsetting at times. It’s important to consider the impact any caring role may have on you and whether you may benefit from some support.
Caring for a person who is struggling with their mental health can be a varied role and may include: providing emotional support, supporting them to seek help, helping with day-to-day responsibilities, personal care, providing somewhere to stay, medical care, supporting attendance at appointments, and helping to advocate for their needs or checking in on their safety.
Many carers report finding it difficult to cope with the change in relationship taking on a caring role can bring. For example, a relationship could evolve from a mother and daughter or husband and wife to also being that of carer and patient. The dynamic of your relationship may change and sometimes it can feel like you’ve lost someone or part of yourself in this transition.
Supporting someone else can have an impact on your own mental health. Caring for someone can be upsetting, stressful and isolating. Carers have been found to experience anxiety, worry or low mood, particularly if the caring role is over an extended period of time. For most people who help to support those they love, this is in addition to other commitments. For example, their job or career, children or other dependents. Therefore, caring for someone can sometimes lead to feeling stretched with only minimal time left to give to other people or things in your life, or for yourself.
It can be difficult to take time to think about yourself, but implementing some of the following techniques might help you when supporting someone:
