It’s so easy to lose your Self when caring for a loved one. Remembering who you are and what is important to you are healthy ways to return to a balanced way of caring.
Without regular time caring for yourself, it’s very easy to become externally focused to the point where your whole attention is on others. Compassion for others is a wonderful thing, but can so easily overwhelm you if not balanced with time to reconnect to your Self.
My daughter loves to run and do yoga. In these two simple activities, she reminds herself who she is and what’s important to her. She can return to these activities on a regular basis. She finds this helps her achieve a more balanced approach to life.
My husband has been having seven weeks combined chemotherapy and radiotherapy for advanced tongue cancer. This means that a lot of my time recently has been focused on supporting him through this intensive treatment. Last weekend, I felt completely depleted and out of balance. I decided to take just two hours to myself. I headed for a local café. Sitting in front of a log burner, I enjoyed a simple bowl of soup for lunch. After this, I took a short walk in the local countryside. By the time I was home, I was ready to continue my supportive role, refreshed.
Possible signs that you might need some time to reconnect with your Self are;
- A short fuse
- Feelings of resentment
- Lethargy or exhaustion but with difficulty sleeping
- Unable to focus and concentrate
Reconnecting doesn’t need to be a lengthy process. Little time slots scattered throughout the week make them easier to achieve. Therefore, this is my aim for the next few weeks whilst supporting my husband through the remainder of his treatment and recovery.
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