Looking after yourself
If you give care and support to someone else it can be all too easy to neglect your own health.
It’s crucial that you pay attention to your health needs, not least because keeping healthy means you can continue caring. It’s easier said than done of course, with so many other priorities in the day. There’s no magic wand but there are a number of ways you can help to maintain your health.
Our MS Essentials publication ‘Caring for someone with MS’ has detailed information on:
- looking after your back
- eating well
- dealing with emotions like anger and guilt
- stress and depression
- coping with loneliness and isolation
The Expert Patients Programme offers a course called ‘Looking after Me’. This is a self management course for adults who care for someone living with a long-term health condition. It’s designed to help carers make time to look after their own health needs and covers:
- relaxation techniques
- dealing with tiredness
- exercise
- healthy eating
- coping with depression
- planning for the future
The course is run by trained tutors who all have experience of caring for an adult themselves. It’s free of charge and runs over six weeks, with a half day session each week. For more information, visit the carers' section of the Expert Patients Programme website.
