Top tips for staying healthy

Date: Thursday, April 25th 2013
Categories: All Leicestershire

Here are a few things you may find useful, to help you stay healthy - physically, mentally and emotionally.

Being a carer is emotionally and physically draining and will bring about change in your life, with losses and gains. Be kind to yourself and don’t feel you have to be a hero.

Remember you are on a journey. Journeys have a beginning, middle and end.

There will be times when being a carer feels overwhelming. But it doesn’t have to stay that way. You have more power than you think to direct and control the journey you are on. You don’t have to be a passive passenger.

Caring for someone means you are ‘running a marathon, not a sprint‘ so you need to pace yourself and conserve your energy. If you run ‘flat out’ at the beginning, you’ll have little energy left to cope with the rest of the race.

Remember the 51% rule: You need to apportion the right to accept or decline responsibility for others without GUILT.

Don’t be a hero - ask for help from services and find out as much information about the illness as you can. Increasing your understanding will calm your worries and fears.

Attend any courses that might help you learn coping skills including online learning.

Avoid people and places that stress you. It’s better to avoid them than struggle to deal with the after effects. Spend time with people who are kind and compassionate and care about you.

Practise asking for or telling others what you want - people can’t read your mind and it helps them if you say want you want.

Don’t bottle your feelings up. You’ll only end up taking it out on others or someone close to you. Remember the golden rule - “You’ve got to feel it to heal it.”

Get creative – sing, dance, draw, paint, garden…whatever helps.

Talk to someone you trust regularly.

Try keeping a journal…write it out.

Laugh and cry …don’t bottle it up.

‘Circle of Breath’ breathing technique for relaxation: Sitting upright in a chair, or lying down, breath in for a count of 4 - filling deep down into the belly, so that it expands. Hold the breath for a count of 4, and then exhale slowly over a count of 8 or longer if possible. Repeat up to 10 times.

If things are really difficult consider talking to a counsellor or psychotherapist about how you are feeling. There are counsellors at all GP’s surgeries.

Take up Mindfulness Meditation which is known to reduce stress, improve mental well being and prevent physical illness. This can help to stop ruminations leaving space and peace, and you ‘mindful’ rather than having your ‘mind full.’ You can find out more at: www.bemindful.co.uk

For more information, advice and tips, take a look at the Mental Health Foundation website - including their range of wellbeing podcasts .