Carer health and wellbeing

As a carer it’s important to take care of yourself and look after your own health and wellbeing. We know that sometimes it’s difficult to balance looking after yourself with taking care of someone else. On this page you’ll find information, and links to other organisations, to help you maintain your own health and wellbeing.

Eating Well

Eating a healthy well balanced diet is important for maintaining good health. The general recommendation is to eat a wide range of foods to ensure your body gets all the nutrients it needs. The NHS offers 8 top tips to eating healthily and also has information and advice if you are looking to lose weight. Follow this link to the NHS Live Well website.

The Carers Trust has a range of information and links to help you eat well; from recipes, to top tips and forums. Follow this link to visit the Carers Trust. 

Coping strategies

As a carer you might find yourself in situations which are frustrating and there might be times when your responsibilities leave you feeling hopeless or angry.

Whilst being active and eating well can help there are also other things you can do to reduce and cope with stress. Carers UK have advice and tips on how to cope with stress, including some self-help tips to help you deal with immediate stress. Follow this link to find out more about reducing stress.

It’s important to recognise the symptoms of stress because long-term stress can lead to health complications and cause difficulties later on. The Carers Trust site has a list of stress symptoms and advice on what to do, and who to contact if you are stressed. Follow this link to find out more about managing stress.

Being Active

Both eating healthily and staying active are important in making sure you stay healthy and well. Being a carer can mean long and busy days so it’s important to plan ahead.

Just 20 minutes of exercise a day can help improve your health. The NHS ‘Live Well site has a ‘Couch to 5k’ if you’re just starting on your exercise journey. The site also has a series of quick10 minute exercises, which you can split up and fit around your caring duties. Follow this link to visit the NHS Live Well site.

You can also be more ‘active’ in your day to day life by making active choices. The NHS website has ideas for carers of all ages and includes top tips for living a more active lifestyle. Follow this link to find out more about active lifestyles.  

Getting support

We recognise how important your role as a carer is so we’ll support you to help you carry on caring. Here are some examples of the way we can help: