Kinship carers are often dealing with many difficult issues resulting in them feeling stressed which can impact mental health, physical health and wellbeing.
Self-Care is essential to all our wellbeing, when we have good habits, we can be more focussed and often cope better with daily stresses – having a good night’s sleep, a balanced diet, regular exercise and relaxation are all forms of self-care, when we practice good self-care, we are less likely to become overwhelmed.
Introducing a little daily exercise is good for our mental and physical wellbeing, this does not mean suddenly taking up Yoga or Zumba classes or joining a Gym, sometimes just making a small daily change can make a difference. As we all have busy lives especially when we spend a lot of our time looking after others, it is important to try to make a little time every day where possible to get mobile, can we walk to the local shop rather than take the car or bus? can we take a short walk with the dog if we have one? Could we walk the children to school. These are just a few examples of small changes to daily routines.
Relaxation is key to improved well being and is unique to each person, what works for one doesn’t necessarily for another, there are endless things we can all do to relax from small breathing exercises, reading a favourite book, watching an episode of a favourite show, having that first cuppa in the morning before the day begins, often we just don’t make the time to do it as we are in demand and haven’t placed our own needs as high as others on the lists of things to do.
Meeting or communicating with other Kinship Carers, who understand what you are experiencing, can help alleviate stress. Sharing experiences and problems with those who have found themselves in a similar situation can often lead to shared solutions. In many areas throughout Scotland there are local peer support groups which are invaluable to lots of Kinship Carers, there is also an online private Kinship Care Facebook page for those without a Kinship group in their area. Check out our page for contact details: Support groups – Kinship.scot (stackstaging.com)
You can also speak with our helpline adviser on 08000 28 22 33 who can source local supports which you may find of benefit.
During Kinship Care Week we were joined by Children’ Health Scotland who delivered a webinar on Looking After Yourself.
Kinship Carers often say “I will be alright if the kids are” but how about turning that round – “If I’m alright, then the kids will be too”. This means you are simply being mindful of your own needs, so you are better able to support the people you care about.
In this session we will be looking at what we mean by self-care or looking after yourself, how practical that is when you are caring 24/7, the barriers and the benefits and why self-care is so important. We will also hear through a pre-recorded panel discussion with Kinship Carers – What floats their boat!
This session was recorded and can be viewed on the KCASS You Tube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WE90G9ajEoo
At KCASS we have an affiliation with Raymy Boyle a Kinship Carer who is also a qualified Mindfulness coach. Raymy has delivered free Mindfulness sessions for Kinship Carers introducing the many benefits of practicing Mindfulness and is keen to deliver more in the future.
Information about future developments and resources will be shared on this page.
You can listen to and watch Raymy here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pGImZGro57k
This video has been recorded specifically for Kinship Carers and you can read about the benefits of Mindfulness for Kinship Carers below. You can contact Raymy at raymy@theacornprinciple.com if you have any questions or want to participate in the mindfulness drop-in sessions he will be running from September 2022 – see dates and joining details below.
Mindfulness drop in sessions.
If you want to find out how mindfulness can be of benefit to you, please join Raymy for an informal exploration with like-minded kinship carers. If you are interested in attending any of these sessions, please get in touch with Raymy on raymy@theacornprinciple.com or contact the service on advice@kinshipscot.org
Feedback form some of those who attended previous sessions of Mindfulness entitled, Restore the Balance, with Raymy included:
Research shows us that there can be many benefits of practicing mindfulness on a regular basis. These include:
Increasing your capacity for mindfulness supports many attitudes that contribute to a satisfied life.
If greater well-being isn’t enough of an incentive, scientists have discovered the benefits of mindfulness techniques help improve physical health in a number of ways. Mindfulness can:
In recent years, psychotherapists have turned to mindfulness meditation as an important element in the treatment of a number of problems, including:
Some experts believe that mindfulness works, in part, by helping people to accept their experiences – including painful emotions – rather than react to them with aversion and avoidance.
If you have any questions about mindfulness or the drop-in sessions please contact Raymy here: raymy@theacornprinciple.com
“It’s important that we take care of our own health to enable us to give the best possible support to the children in our care” – anonymous Kinship Carer.
As kinship carers, you are used to putting the children in your care’s health before your own, but this doesn’t mean that you should neglect your own health and wellbeing.
If you have any concerns about your physical or mental health, or if you’re simply looking for support to lead a more healthy lifestyle, help is available.
The following organisations can offer advice, guidance and tools to improve your health and wellbeing and support you as you support the children in your care.
