Young Caregivers › Forums › Hello world!
In most recent times, I have been providing support for my friend who has borderline personality disorder. Caring for her has made it challenging for us to share joyous moments that we once shared in the past. Something that has helped me throughout this whole process is setting boundaries of the things that I will accept from her versus the things that I won’t accept. With BPD, individuals have a tendency of isolating themselves out of fear of losing their loved ones. I set boundaries between my friend and I so that when she isolates herself, our friendship wouldn’t disappear as well. I would ask her to give me a call weekly to speak about how are week has been going, ask to see her monthly, etc.
Your feelings are definitely valid. I think if there’s one thing that I do when caring for my parents is create a weekly schedule for myself. In this schedule I usually write down my own personal priorities that I need to adhere too. Things such as the days that I work in the week, assignments that I need to complete, birthdays of my family/friends, meetings for work, etc. The reason I am suggesting that you make a schedule is because it helps to reduce the feeling of being overwhelmed. I use monthly calendars that can be found at the dollar store and I also use agendas to help me. Another thing that is also very important when caring for someone with Alzheimer’s is taking part in activities to help the working memory stay active. My grandmother has Alzheimers and something that I do with her to help her memory is create a routine so that my grandmother knows what’s going on daily. I suggest that you practice this as well 🙂 Good luck!
This is definitely something that was relatable in the beginning of the pandemic! There was also a study done in 2020 which mentioned that a lot of people were going to bed very late in comparison to the time that they would typically go to sleep pre-pandemic. Personally, I was going to bed at around 4am everyday and then I would sleep in, wake up to eat and go right back to sleep – wow, what a time that was haha!
This might sound cliché, but what helps me manage school, work and caregiving is a creating weekly schedules and finding a routine to follow daily. Schedules help me to organize my time and my priorities such as deadlines for assignments and doctor appointments that I need to accompany my mother on. Finding a routine to practice is also very important because you are exercising self regulation, punctuality and discipline.
When Spring comes around I get so excited for the summer! During this season we get to see the weather change, the ice melt and we begin to wear less clothing that keeps us warm, such as our winter coat’s. My favourite season is fall! I love watching the leaves on the trees change and pile up on the ground.
I find being a caregiver has become easier in some aspects but harder in other aspects. Social distancing measures has made it challenging to actively practice caregiving to those that need it most and to those who are at high risk of contracting covid-19; personally I am always working with people so I have to be isolated from those that need caregiving. On the other hand, it has been easier to provide emotional support for my immediate family such as my younger sister because she is always at home as a result of her school being online.
I practice square breathing – 1 breath in, hold that breath, 1 breath out and hold that breath again. It is a great way to practice emotional regulation and it helps calm me down when I am feeling overwhelmed. I also enjoy listening to music with lyrics that resonate with the current emotion that I am feeling. Another thing I enjoy doing is listening to coffee sound ambiance’s! It is a GREAT way for me to distract myself and it is also very calming.
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