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I volunteer at a local Carer's group, and one thing I've noticed is how much everyone cares!  That might sound obvious, but I have seen time and time and time again that these people put everything related to their cared-for before themselves.  Of course you do - it's human nature.

Fine...but what about the Carer?  What about you? 

If you care for someone, whether it is an elderly relative, a spouse, a child or a neighbour, the chances are that you've experienced some feelings that you didn't like.  Perhaps feelings that you were uncomfortable with, and often, you might have tried to hide these feelings, because you don't think that you should be having them.

The thing with feelings is that you can't help it.  You can't decide what to feel - you just feel it.

Caring is not like a 9 to 5 job.  Caring is very often a 24 hour - 7 day a week job, and the sheer relentlessness can be exhausting.  Exhaustion can lead to feelings of frustration and anger.  I hear this a lot when people admit to feeling angry because this isn't what they signed up for.  

When you were growing up and making plans, perhaps to get married and have children, you don't think that one day you might not be able to leave the house alone, or even sit down and have a cup of tea because you have to care for your loved one because they can no longer care for themselves.  You don't think that you might have to wash, feed and dress the person you got married to, and you certainly don't think that you will have to clean up the vomit and toileting accidents of the person that you were once intimate with.

These feelings are 'taboo' and can become compounded if they are not released in a healthy way, and often, when you are feeling exhausted, the very last thing you are thinking about doing is releasing your difficult emotions in a healthy way!

This can lead to feelings of isolation, again leading to anger and frustration, and because these feelings are uncomfortable, and very often not talked about, we also pile guilt on the top - just for good measure!

So you squash the feelings down and press on.  You carry on caring, whilst feeling angry, frustrated, guilty, sad...

Sadness is a feeling lots of Carers experience.  They feel sad that their loved one is no longer the person they were, they feel sad that they can no longer do the things with their loved one that they used to do, and they feel sad that their life is very much controlled by their situation.  

As a Carer, these sad feelings can be similar to the feelings experienced after a bereavement.  You are grieving the loss of the person you love, yet they are still living, and so the feelings of grief often goes unacknowledged.  This, along with all of the other feelings I've already mentioned, as well as exhaustion, can lead to bouts of depression or other, physical ailments.

So what can you do to help yourself?  First of all, you can admit to the feelings.  Admit to the feelings and tell yourself that it's ok to feel like this.  That is your first step to releasing those feelings.  Next, start to look for any help that might be out there.  The Carer's Group I volunteer at is full of people just like you, who felt isolated and alone, and as they've become part of a group, they now feel more connected and supported.  

Also, take a look at your diet.  Are you just grabbing what you can, in the few moments spare that you have, or are you taking in the vitamins and minerals that you need in order to function at your best?  Try and increase your fruit and vegetable intake, in order to give you the energy and vitality you need.  And drink plenty of water, as this helps your brain to function.  You are important!

There are also lots of helpful websites out there, with forums which you can contribute to, by asking questions, or answering someone's question that is going through something that you may have already experienced.  This will give you feelings of hope and fulfilment, knowing that you are part of something and communicating with like-minded people - people who know what you are going through.  These sites can also signpost you to other areas of help, such as assessments and allowances. One site that many of my clients find useful is www.carersuk.org but I'm sure that there are lots of others out there.

If you are in a position where you can leave your loved one for a while, perhaps someone else can step in and help, or perhaps there is a group they can attend to give you some respite, plan how you will use that time.  Don't fill that time doing chores at home - they will keep!  Perhaps use the time by taking a walk, or getting a massage or having some counselling.  Use that time entirely for you.  These things will all support your mental and physical health, and in order to carry on with the amazing job of caring that you do, you need to be at your mental and physical best.

What you do is incredible.  Please tell yourself that at least once a day.  Your loved one might not be able to tell you that, but what you are giving to them is a precious, valuable and unique gift.  The gift of caring.  The gift of love.

It's late July 2018, we're having a break from a monumental heatwave and I'm sitting at my desk and procrastinating.  That means that I'm finding as many things as possible to do, instead of what I'm meant to be doing.

This is nothing new.  A lot of people procrastinate, and I'm very good at it.  The great thing is that it means that I get things like my filing done, and things that I otherwise often don't get time for.

As I was busy doing my filing, my phone rang, and it was BBC Radio Derby, asking me to go on the Sally Pepper show and speak about why we do things to frighten ourselves.  Good - another way to procrastinate!

When you enter a situation that isn't familiar, your brain tells your body to get ready by releasing adrenaline.  The adrenaline increases your heart rate, and puts you into a state of high alert.  Within a few seconds, you assess the situation, and if it's a dangerous situation, your brain will release cortisol - the stress hormone.  This can be a good thing, as it can help you to leave a situation quickly, or it can help you to focus better on the task in hand, but this isn't meant to be a prolonged state, and prolonged stress can lead to poor sleep, anxiety and possibly depression.

Anyway, I didn't go on Radio Derby to talk about the down sides of adrenaline, because when you assess the situation and find it to be non-threatening, if it is likely to be something enjoyable, your brain releases oxytocin, dopamine and seratonin.  These are all happy chemicals, and when being pushed around your body at speed by the adrenaline, bring feelings of thrill and excitement.

This is why theme park rides can be exciting.  The risk to you is calculated.  You know it will be thrilling and scary, but essentially, you know you will be safe, and so you push yourself and experience the rush of those wonderful feelings.

So essentially, we put ourselves into scary situations because we like it.  We like the feeling of being thrilled!  So that was my moment on BBC Radio Derby today.

Now, what was I meant to be doing...

In my job as a Clinical Hypnotherapist and Counsellor, I often get asked what people can expect from a session.  The answer is that I don't know, exactly.  It depends entirely on you, and all people are different.

We have unique life experiences, different ways of receiving and interpreting information and different ways of responding.

All I know is that in every one of my sessions, I will do my best for you.  I'm a very detailed individual.  I will take time to listen to your story and to the changes you would like to make, and then I will use all of my experience, knowledge and expertise to help you in the best way that I can.

The title of this post is "And so it begins" because this is my first blog entry on my new website.  My new website which isn't even live yet, but when it is, this will be the first entry.  Exciting times!

Life is a journey, and I am very honoured to share part of it with you. 

Namaste, Franca