I recommend Charles to anyone who really wants to make powerful life changes elegantly

John Lavalle Master Trainer of NLP and DHE
Co author of Persuasion Engineering

Stress from ill-health of a family member

Just because you're not the one that's ill doesn't mean that you aren't affected by illness. The stress from an illness or simply poor health of a family member can be enormous. You feel out of control as the illness is in ‘charge' of the course of your life, especially when you're a caretaker. If you're a far distance away from a family member that's sick, that can also cause you stress. However, with some simple relaxation techniques and advice, you will be able to be there for your family member as well as maintain your own mental health.

Stress management is crucial when you have a family member that is ill. When you're going to be handling a majority of their caretaking responsibilities, you need to manage your stress so that you have the energy and the patience to help them get better or be comfortable.

• Take time for yourself - One of the most important things that you need to do for yourself during this time is to take time away from your responsibilities every now and then. This might include hiring help or simply getting away from your family member from time to time. You need to keep up your own life so that you don't begin to resent the things that are expected of you at this time.

• Talk with a therapist or friend - The key to relaxation training is that you need to let go of the feelings you have in order to deal with them in a positive manner. If you don't have a friend or family member to talk to, you will want to find a therapist that you can talk to in order to get support during this trying time. Talk with your family member's doctor to see what support groups are available. Knowing that others are having the same feelings will allow you to put your own into perspective.

• Realize that there are going to be ‘bad' days - There will be times that you are angry and upset with the fact that your family member is sick. However, you need to recognize that this is completely normal and to be expected. Try to focus more on the fact that these feelings are okay to have. You may want to journal about this in order to vent your frustration from time to time.

When you're far away from your sick family member, you may feel guilty about the situation and thus be stressed due to that fact. Instead, try to make time to connect with your family member so that you can feel like you're helping in some way. You might want to send frequent ‘care packages' filled with fun treats for the family member or you can arrange to call on a regular basis and visit once in a while.

If you aren't yet ready to contact us, please read our publications, familiarize yourself with our services, and get to know more about us .

Relaxation Training specialists, The 4th R, 020-8974-8974

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