It doesn't matter who you care for. The young, elderly, your partner, someone who is or is not related to you, it can be and very often is very stressful. As a carer you are expected to do whatever is needed for the person you care for, this is often at the expense of yourself and others you care about. Finding a balance in these situations is very difficult and in all too many cases the carer puts themselves last.
Studies have shown that short-term stress boosted the immune system, but chronic stress has a significant effect on the immune system that ultimately manifest an illness. So stress is not a bad thing in short bursts it is what gets us out of bed in the morning, our fight or flight instinct has served us well for many thousands of years.
However in a situation where you are a carer often putting yourself last, never having time for yourself, stressed all the time it can start to affect your body, your thoughts, ability to sleep, your feelings, and your behaviour. Stress that's left unchecked can contribute to many health problems, such as high blood pressure, heart disease, obesity and diabetes.
I have experienced this first hand, tired stumbling from one task to another, a list of things getting longer and longer the inability to tackle things that should take 2 minutes, not sleeping properly doing the bare mimium to get through the day and neglecting myself. In my case this lead to Type 2 Diabetes. Fortunately I have managed to turn my health around and have my blood sugars well under control thanks to alternative therapies and a holistic approach!
I now specialise in helping those caring for others to overcome stress and stress related health problems including sleep issues using a natural holistic approach.
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