Do You Care for/Support Someone with a Health Condition?

How is your Self-Care Going?

For many of us who care for/support loved ones who have health conditions, self-care gets relegated to the back burner. While we may appreciate the idea of self-care, allotting the time and brain space for it can feel like a luxury we neither can afford nor imagine. 

The paradox is that, if we don’t care for ourselves, we compromise our ability to function properly and to touch other’s lives in positive ways.

It is vital to remind ourselves that SELF-CARE IS NOT SELFISH. In fact, it is an act that honors the life we have been given and supports our capacity to care for others.

Self-care plays out as we get into the habit of assessing and addressing our personal needs. 

As caregivers and supporters to folks with health conditions—both young and older—we face challenges that can counteract our resiliency and impact our own needs. For example, see this article about caregiver stress from the Mayo Clinic. 

Self-care routines can shore us up, repair us and aid us in dealing with adversity, so we can lead satisfying lives that include and go beyond our caregiving role.

See our Self-Care Booklet for ideas on creating self-care routines for yourself.   In addition, see our listing of support resources for friends and family and our article, Support for Family and Friends.