Caregivers are prone to burning out when taking care of a loved one dealing with a chronic medical condition. However, when caring for someone, especially a spouse, who is suffering from Bipolar Disorder can feel like you are burning the candle from both ends. Not only are you trying to keep on top of medications and medical care for your spouse, but you are trying to be a patient and loving spouse while dealing with the mood swings, cycles, and everythingelse that comes with Bipolar Disorder. There are some things that you can do as a caregiver to try to avoid the burnout.
1) Find a hobby It doesn’t have to be anything fancy, just find something that you enjoy doing that does not revolve around your kids, time management, or your spouse dealing with mental illness. It could be as simple as giving yourself a workout routine. Remember to make it a concrete part of your schedule, so that it has priority. You need to remember to set aside time each week for you so that you become so overwhelmed. Setting this time aside each week will give you something to look forward to each and every week.
2) Support System We are very lucky to have a strong support system of family living
very close and this has been a great help to us while working through my husband’s mental illness. However, some couples struggling through bipolar disorder are not lucky enough to have a strong support system around you. If this is the case, try to find a good support group that meets at least on a weekly basis to get some basic support going for you and your family. At the very least this at least gives you a group of people that both you and your husband can relate to and this will help you realize that you are not alone in this journey.
3) Find a new balance When bipolar disorder takes over your life, or at least that is the way it feels, sometimes it can seem as though the scale that you have used to balance your family life is now broken. Some days it will feel as though it will never be fixed. Come to a place where you know where your limits are for yourself and for your family. Sometimes this will mean saying no to a lot of social events – that’s OK! You are in the process of redefining your life, your marriage, and your family. Just like growing in any other area of your life, this will be a rocky road though if you are able to find that new balance your marriage will be stronger as a result. There will be other social events in the future. Won’t it be wonderful to go to those social events in the future with your marriage and family intact instead of becoming another divorce statistic?
What are some ways that you have avoided burnout when caring for your spouse living with Bipolar Disorder.
Blogging Challenge!
I hope that you are enjoying these daily posts for the month of May in honor of Mental Health Awareness Month! I am doing my part to help end the stigma associated with mental health, in particular Bipolar Disorder, by getting information out there in order to increase awareness for those who want to learn more about mental illnesses, also to provide encouragement for those already living with the illness.
I will also be participating in the 2011 Mental Health Blog Day that will be on May 18th. I am already working on an awesome post for release on May 18th to bring light to the stigma around mental health.
Contact us!
If this is your first visit to our website – welcome! It is my desire that you are able to find hope and encouragement from this blog especially if your spouse suffers from mental illness. We try to take it day by day, though this journey is especially challenging. You should not have to go on this journey alone!
Please comment on this blog – we would truly appreciate your feedback! Are you finding this helpful and encouraging? Is there a particular topic you are needing resources or advice on? Let me know how I can improve the blog and make it more resourceful for you!
You can also follow me on twitter. I love to engage with others dealing with mental illness there and would be honored if you followed me. I try to share resources and articles on twitter as much as possible. Please also feel free to send an e-mail to feedback@thebipolarmarriage.com with any feedback that you don’t feel comfortable leaving it in the comments section on the blog.
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