Being a carer for a relative is never easy, not only can it be emotionally and physically draining, but you may also find that you lack any time to take care of yourself. When this happens, you may end up feeling resentful that you are unable to enjoy your own life and then feel guilty that you feel this way. After all, your relative would hate to think that they are a burden on you and also, you are going to be filled with love for them too.

When you care for someone, it is vital that you try your best to make time for yourself. After all, you need to make sure that your batteries can recharge and that you can feel that you are taking care of your own needs.

But how? How can get time for yourself when it seems that you spend a lot of your time caring for somebody else?

Take 10 minutes to do something that you want to do

How many times do you find yourself with a spare 10 minutes, only to fill it with care related tasks or something around the house? It is important that you give yourself some time that is just dedicated to you. This could be simply sitting down and having a cup of tea, reading through the paper, or perhaps simply heading outside for a walk in the fresh air. You may be surprised to learn by just how much of a difference this can make.

Meeting a friend

When we care for someone, we often lack time to dedicate to our friendships and relationships outside of this one. One great way to reclaim some time back for yourself is to arrange to meet up with a friend. This could be for a coffee, for dinner or perhaps for a walk in the park. The key is that you are not only getting out of the house, but that you are interacting with someone too.

Finding time for a hobby

Finding time for yourself can be hard, however, if you have the motivation to plan time in, then there is a much better chance that you will actually do it. The best way to do this is to take up a hobby or an activity that you love to do. That way, when it pops up in your diary, you are going to be much more likely to feel able to take the time out.

The trick with taking time for yourself is that you don’t have to always take a huge chunk of time, sure you might want to try and get away for a couple of days, however, if you worry about leaving your loved one for an extended of time, then make sure that you take smaller, more regular breaks. This will help you to claim back a bit of yourself and start to feel refreshed and rejuvenated too.