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Taking care of other people can bring happiness and a lot of joy. And that can be even in the worst of circumstances. However, when we are so busy taking care of others, we can often forget to take care of ourselves. And as the saying goes, you can’t pour from an empty cup.
And when you are looking after others, the rest of your life doesn’t stop. There are still children, chores, work, and much more just piling up.
It becomes easy to burn out, and sometimes it happens without you even noticing. Traveling between work, home, and a nursing home or hospital can soon become the norm.
But there are a few ways that you can take care of yourself while you are taking care of others.
Keep in Touch
As soon as you start taking care of other people, you might notice your social life can fall somewhat by the wayside. It is very important that you stay connected with your friends. They can bring you a great source of happiness outside of your caring duties. Long phone conversations or text exchanges can be great, just to remind you you have support.
If you find you’re in one location for a long time, like outside a care home or at the hospital, you can ask your friend for some moral support in between visiting hours. You might be surprised just how much joy coffee and a cake can give you.
Decisions
You need as much information as you can gather, and it helps to talk to friends and family too. Learning more about some hospice services can help you make the right choices when the time comes.
Walk
If you find that you are sitting by a bedside, or that you have to take physical care of your friend or family member and you potentially aren’t getting as much fresh air as you need – it is time to change that.
And while it can be not very easy to fit in 30 minutes a day of walking, perhaps an hour at the weekends all the time you have off away from work and other responsibilities will work instead. Walking gives you time to clear your mind, and it’s also great for your body. If it is truly impossible to find time to have a walk at the weekend or during the week then even going up and down the stairs, a few extra times can help get your heart pumping and make sure that you are staying active.
Help
Sometimes we take on everything ourselves because we don’t like to ask for help. However, everything can be too much when we try to do everything alone. There is no shame in calling a professional or asking other friends and family to help you. And while ideally, someone should take care of you while you take care of others, that doesn’t always work out. So try to schedule a time for yourself to enjoy things like reading, catching up on Netflix series, or having a good old nap.
