Caregiving and Mental Health: The Hidden Panic No One Talks About
Some days, it feels like I’m calm on the surface… and quietly spiralling underneath.
I’ll be doing something completely normal - making a cup of coffee, replying to an email - and suddenly I realise I’m clenching my jaw, holding my breath, running through scenarios in my head that haven’t even happened yet.
What if Mum gets a pressure sore?
What if my stepdad has another heart attack or falls?
What if I miss something, forget something, drop one of the spinning plates and it all crashes down?
Caring comes with so much love.
But it also comes with so much fear.
I Used To Be An OT - Until I Had To Keep My Parents Alive
I used to be an Occupational Therapist.
I thought I knew how to plan, how to pace and how to care. But when it’s your parents, it’s different. The boundaries blur. You become a daughter, a carer, an admin assistant and a mini health and social care system all rolled into one.
But nothing prepared me for becoming the one who had to keep two people alive.