As parents of children with disabilities, we live with the constant worry of what will happen to our children if we are not there to care for and support them.

My experience is not much different than the family caregiver caring for a sick person or someone with a terminal medical condition, psychiatric or cognitive problems. We all experience this worry and emotional burden.
Over the years I ended up developing a list of physiological symptoms, from stress, fibromyalgia and celiac disease, among other things.

We caregivers feel that if we share how bad we feel, we complain. Sometimes, we feel guilty, as the cause of our burnout is our patients or loved ones. All of this is valid. It’s a real feeling. What’s also real is that there’s nothing wrong with expressing and acknowledging that being a caregiver is hard and that it tugs at our heartstrings.

Learning how to manage the mounting stress that caregivers endure is something I acquired through years of experience. Unfortunately, no one provides you with a manual for this.

#almostsixty #youmelegacy #caregiver #yocastabianconi

Source: BREATHE-CAREGIVERS-GUIDE-COMPASSION-RESILIENCE