Maintaining Relationships
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Supporting Carers to Live Well
When you’re a carer it can be hard to maintain relationships with family, friends and loved ones.
From feeling isolated to strained romantic relationships, you should never feel a burden when communicating your feelings.
Communication is key when you’re a carer as most people won’t know how it feels or how it’s affecting you.
Feeling isolated from family and friends
Being a carer is a full-time role which leaves little to no time to focus on yourself and your family. This can lead to you feeling alone and out of touch of reality around you. Below are a few ways that you can help yourself manage this feeling of isolation and what you can do to maintain your relationships.
Asking for small favours
By asking somebody to take over, even if it’s for a couple of hours, you can have some time to yourself. Make the person aware of how much this will help you, they might even offer to help out again!
Explain how you feel
Most family members and friends won’t understand what you are feeling. It is important to communicate with them if you begin to feel as though you are struggling. If there is rising conflict within your family try to figure out the route of the problem. Is it because there is a lack of communication? Or is it because they are unsure on how to help? Finding the cause of the problem can help maintain the relationship and discover ways they can offer you support in the future.
You and your partner
Much like your friends and family, your relationship with your partner may also suffer due to your caring role. This isn’t something that is unusual, many people feel as though their personal relationships suffer significantly due to their role as they have very little time to feel close to one another.
Communication is once again key – people aren’t mind readers, they need to know exactly how you feel so you can begin to resolve any problems. As much as caring can bring you close together, it can also push people away. It is crucial that you are able to find time for yourself and do things that make you happy.
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Asking your GP for help
You may get to a point where you no longer know what to do or how to manage your problems. Going to your doctor can open up doors on how to get the support you need.
From local groups and activities to meditation and counselling, there will be something that is suitable for each individual to help reduce the feeling of isolation.