Taking on a role as a carer can be extremely challenging as they have to face real life situations on a daily basis and be able to handle them in the most effective way possible. Why not take a look at a few of those challenges that carers face…
Depression
Research shows that depression is common among carers. The word depression is used to describe a range of emotional states, from feeling low to not being able to get out of bed. Depression is classified as a mood disorder. It may be described as feelings of sadness, loss, or anger that interfere with a person’s everyday activities.
People experience depression in different ways. It may interfere with your daily work, resulting in lost time and lower productivity. It can also influence relationships and some chronic health conditions.
Guilt
Guilt is one of the most common emotions that carers experience.
Carers can often feel guilty for becoming angry with the person they are looking after. This is due to them feeling like they should be able to cope and should never get angry with someone who cannot help what they are doing.
Carers may also feel guilty because they do not get any pleasure from their role.
Carers are likely to experience an extreme range of emotions, one of which is often guilt. They may feel like they are not doing a good enough job of caring for a loved one, or they may be struggling to accept help. These feelings are completely normal, and very common.
Isolation
It is easy to become isolated or feel lonely as a carer. Loneliness is a feeling of sadness or distress about being by yourself or feeling disconnected from the world around you. It may be felt more over a long period of time. It is also possible to feel lonely, even when surrounded by people.
Caring for someone is a big responsibility and can take up a lot of your time. You might even often feel lonely and cut off from the outside world, as it can be so difficult to make time for yourself or you might feel guilty if you are not prioritising the person you are caring for. If you are starting to feel lonely, it can often help to talk to people close to you or those in a similar situation.
Anger
Carers may feel angry about many aspects of their situation – the unfairness, the responsibilities and the change in lifestyle.
Dealing with anger as a carer of someone with a serious health issue can be really tough. Carers may also be dealing with rejection from them, feeling rubbish about the situation generally but also genuinely wondering what they can to help and how to manage the situation.
Please see below link provided by MIND which shows Real life stories and ways to cope when supporting someone else:-
Your mental health | Mind, the mental health charity – help for mental health problems
What our EAP service can offer –
Valentine OH offer the ideal management tool for improving the psychological and emotional wellbeing of your employees. Our EAP has an intrinsic value in regards to tackling stress in the workplace, decreasing employee absence and increasing retention as well as assist you to meet your duty of care obligations.
This specialist support service assists employees with personal problems and/or work-related problems that may impact their job performance, health (mental and physical) and emotional wellbeing. An EAP will offer free and confidential guidance, support, independent advice and if required short term counselling. We provide a range of EAP service model options including telephone and face to face counselling support.
Produced by Coordinator, Sarah Howarth.
