Are you caring for a loved one? Are you looking for ways to find some time for you, to rest and recouperate so that you can continue to support the person you love and care for?

Caregivers like you do an incredible job of providing care and support for those who are experiencing health and wellbeing challenges since receiving their cancer diagnosis.  Your unwavering support makes a huge difference to the quality of their life.  But sustaining that level of care can also be challenging for the caregiver, especially if they’re juggling providing support whilst working or looking after other family members.

So as a caregiver, how do you find ways to look after your own health and wellbeing whilst providing care for someone else?  Fortunately, help is at hand and below you’ll find some invaluable top tips which offer some excellent ways to do that:

1. Stay Connected With Other People

Don’t allow yourself to become isolated or detached from other people, be it family members, friends or colleagues at work.  Ways to stay connected could include seeing them in person, or if getting out and about is not an option that’s available to you right now, invite them over to visit you.

In a digital era, it’s much easier to stay connected with people, whether it’s by a phone call, text message, via an App such as WhatsApp or FaceBook Messenger, other social media platforms or by email. Find a way that’s easy for you to connect with someone and aim to reach out to them, or a number of different people, during the week.  For example, you could visit or contact a friend on a particular day of the week and a family member on a different day of the week.  Or simply go with the flow and visit or message whenever it’s a good time for you.

People are surprisingly good at providing a listening ear and they’ll be happy to talk about other topics if you’d prefer to talk about something else other than your role as a caregiver.

The important point is, to make sure that your contact with people doesn’t drift.  Keep those conversations going – whether it’s a few hours or a few minutes –  and you’ll enjoy the benefits that those conversations can bring.

 

2. Take A Break

No one can expect their energy levels and strength to remain high at all times when they’re a caregiver over a sustained period of time, no matter how short or long.  That’s why it’s vitally important that you take a break and benefit from some temporary relief from your caregiving role.

Taking a break enables you to rest and recharge, whether it’s for a few minutes, hours or several days if you have respite services available to you. The benefits are far reaching, mentally and physically, because it enables your mind and body to relax.

Examples include sourcing a home care provider to provide a level of personal care for your loved one while you’re away from home. Or enjoying an overnight stay or holiday to enable you to travel, or enjoying a holistic therapy to improve your wellbeing.

 

 

3. Be Active

Go for a walk, do some gentle exercise, Yoga or Pilates at home, or exercise the mind.  All of these things will help to reset your mind and body and help you to feel refreshed and restore a sense of tranquillity.

 

4. Eat Well

Aim to eat healthily and at regular meal times.  Keeping your body in check and topped up with vitamins that can be found in different food types will go a long way to helping you maintain good health and increase energy levels.

For example, eat plenty of fruit and vegetables. Look for foods that are high in fibre and that provide a good source of protein.  Eating fish is excellent for providing a rich source of Omega 3 and of course, drink plenty of water to keep yourself hydrated.

 

5. Sleep Well

If you can, aim to have a good sleep routine to maximise the benefits of resting. Some people find that mindfulness or meditation can really help them to detach themselves from the days challenges and to enter a mental and physical state that prepares them for sleep.

Ensure that you create the best environment for a good night’s sleep.  For example, a room that’s a temperature to suit you, a stable and comfortable mattress, a dark and quiet room.

A good, healthy and balanced diet and exercise during the day can also increase the likelihood of a good night’s sleep.

 

 

6. Access To Legal & Financial Documents

One of the most important things you can do as a caregiver is to ensure that you have access to important documents.  This is particularly important if you are the person who is (or who may be in the future) responsible for dealing with your loved ones legal or financial matters. Those documents may include:

• Power of Attorney for property & financial affairs
• Power of Attorney for health & welfare
• Will
• Bills: For utilities & regular outgoings/expenses
• Pension statements
• National Insurance Number & the contact details for the Department for Work & Pensions (DWP)
• Property deeds & mortgage documentation
• Bank account, loans, bonds, stocks & shares documentation
• Insurance policies
• Medical records

 

7. Organise Medical Documents

Check to ensure that any medical documents in your possession are up-to-date and organised in a way that makes it easy to find them.  Filing them in an A4 ring binder/folder is a great way of organising documents.

 

8. Reach Out For Support

Seeking support from friends, family and medical professionals is actively encouraged because it really can help to relieve that feeling of being overwhelmed.  Sometimes, even when you tell yourself that you’re coping or that ‘you’ve got this’, there are times when the overwhelm can become too much and in an ideal world, it’s preferable to acknowledge and seek help before you ever get to this stage.

Another example of excellent support is to contact us here at The Gentle Approach To Cancer Association.

 

We’ve a wealth of resources available to you which range from joining group discussions and activities to enjoying 1-to-1 therapies, all of which a free of charge.

So take a moment and reach out for support.  Ask a friend or family member if they can prepare a meal for you, ask a medical professional about which respite services or other services to assist caregivers are available to you, or get in touch with us.

 

9. Proactive Coping

This technique is about finding a way to look at problem, be it how to face a challenge or solve a problem, and find a way to change a small part of a process to simplify a task or your routine.

Is there a way that you could make a small change to your routine that could help you to better cope with life on a day-to-day basis?  If there is, give it a go – it might help you to avoid burnout.

 

 

10. Make Use Of Nonprofit Or Funded Resources

In addition to the services which we provide free of charge, the following organisations provide a variety of services and resources which you may also find useful:

• CancerHelp Preston – The CancerHelp team works closely with other organisations providing cancer services – the NHS, other charities & service providers – to help join services up & signpost you to the appropriate services.
• Penny Brohn Cancer Care – A cancer health & wellbeing charity supporting adults with any type of cancer, anywhere in the UK. Online, in person and group sessions available.
• Health Creation – Discover proactive health creation which mobilises you into a positive, responsible & fully-engaged relationship with your own health & wellbeing.

 

 

If you’ve any queries about any of the above or if you’re interested in finding out more about how we can support you and your loved ones, please get in touch.