My young friend who owns his own business, has three little girls and is the primary caregiver for his grandmother collapsed last week. He had been pushing himself way to hard for way to long, and then he had several clients who all needed big projects completed at the same time, so he pulled a number of all-nighters. One day I asked him if he had slept the night before, and he said, “Sleep? Who needs it?”
Apparently, he does. A visit to Urgent Care turned into a trip to the Emergency Room and a diagnosis of pneumonia and severe dehydration. The doctor gave him a prescription and strict orders to go home, rest, take his medication and drink lots and lots of fluids. He was told if he tried to go back to work before he was well that he would end up in the hospital for lung therapy treatment.
When I talked with him this morning he said, “When you lose your health, you lose everything!”
I’m not sure how he is going to get control of his workload and meet all the demands of his family, but I’m glad he has become aware of the critical importance of self-care while he still has an opportunity to fully recover.
If you are caring for someone who requires a lot of time and attention, I hope you will acknowledge that sometimes you are the one who needs help and sometimes you need a break.
I recently found a website that I want to share with you. It is the Access to Respite Care and Help (ARCH) National Respite Care Network. If you are in need of some rest, visit this website and click on your state to get a complete listing of the types of respite programs and the contact numbers for your area. I will be writing more about this later, but if you are feeling tired, worn out and in need of help, please visit this site today.
