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Re: Topic Tuesday tonight at 7pm AEST / Do carers have a right to be happy?

I think when we're talking about carer's happiness it always worth thinking about the carer's recovery. It's a process we need to go through too.

 

Re: Topic Tuesday tonight at 7pm AEST / Do carers have a right to be happy?

Welcome to the conversation @3forme! So happy that you could make it.

'Carers recovery' is not something that I've heard of before. Can you tell us a bit more about it?

Re: Topic Tuesday tonight at 7pm AEST / Do carers have a right to be happy?


@3forme wrote:

I think when we're talking about carer's happiness it always worth thinking about the carer's recovery. It's a process we need to go through too.

 


That's an interesting perspective @3forme  Can you share a bit more about what you mean?  Emotional recovery?

Re: Topic Tuesday tonight at 7pm AEST / Do carers have a right to be happy?

This is so tru 3forme. Recovery is essential and that I guess is where the radical acceptance viv was speaking about comes in.

Re: Topic Tuesday tonight at 7pm AEST / Do carers have a right to be happy?

We talk a lot about recovery for our loved ones, but not so much for us. I always assumed that when my daughter showed signs of recovery, I would be happy again and all would return to normal. Not so! As carers we carry own own trauma and I think we need to deal with that to find our own happiness again.

There are lots of things we can do on the way to our recovery though.

Re: Topic Tuesday tonight at 7pm AEST / Do carers have a right to be happy?

I'm not understanding, is this a particular style of therapy? For carers

Re: Topic Tuesday tonight at 7pm AEST / Do carers have a right to be happy?

We've got a few levels of thought on happiness going on.  Maybe a broad agreement about the happiness habits - those daily choices and activities.  I could be imagining that though Smiley Happy

But also an understanding that much deeper issues impact on our ability to be happy.  If we aren't happy in our own skin, and in the way we are living, than it's harder to relax and enjoy the good times when they come.

And then a strong understanding that the reality of the caring role - the emotional and physical drain that it can sometimes be - is another undeniable factor.

It's complex.  And maybe that's why we tend to get 'snippets' as  RJB said at the beginning. 

Re: Topic Tuesday tonight at 7pm AEST / Do carers have a right to be happy?

I know also for me as my daughter entered into a period of recovery I was too frightened to be happy as I felt as soon as I let my guard down everything would go to s*^#% again. Unfortunately that was a true pattern for me and it was not until my attitude improved to a more positive happy one that her periods of recovery became longer and relapses LESS Severe. It was almost like she could sense I had no faith in her progress and so she may as well fail to confirm my fears.

Re: Topic Tuesday tonight at 7pm AEST / Do carers have a right to be happy?

@Rjb great question - is there a therapy for carers recovery @Viv? How can we attend our own recovery?

@Bearcub mentioned "love, balance, good health and achievement". @Bearcub could you provide some examples of how you achieve these things in your daily life? What sort of things to do you?

Re: Topic Tuesday tonight at 7pm AEST / Do carers have a right to be happy?

Carer's recovery ... sounds good.

re values being in line etc as Cherry bomb asked, and linking in my perspective on the process of defining my values... and reinforcing Suzzane's comments about age and singing on the bike....

Well, I do believe the BPD world is a tad interesting. As a carer, I believe we question our role in the disorder very much. In fact mother blame is still a part of the stigma in BPD world. Living with BPD in the house is enough to have everyone emotionally dysregulated, carers are only human. So, when a carer solidly begins their journey of discovery, they look closely to see where they are in relation to BPD themselves. 

A wonderful Spanish proverb I learn was: if you sleep with dogs, expect to wake up with fleas. This is not meant in any disparaging way at all, but carers need to find those fleas. They need to investigate their behaviours, to question who they are.

The upshot hopefully results in a changed person... we carers of people with BPD expect our loved ones with BPD to go through a change in their thinking. We need to rewire our ways of thinking to.

So, Cherrybomb, my values are the same, but my understanding of what they are has been enriched through learning techniques such as validation, boundary setting, radical acceptance, letting go of ego, and of course, mindfulness and compassion. So, my previous core value of respect is the same, but what I understand by respect has changed. How I practice respect has changed. My self respect has properly begun.

that was my 'recovery' and thank goodness I am older, I feel the experience of the years has helped me with this.