I am the caregiver to my 20-year-old son with autism, and will be so for the rest of my life. It is obviously a labor of love, but it can of course carry stresses. I had no idea being a caregiver could cause diabetes or hypertension! Luckily my blood sugars and blood pressures are good, but I will watch them. I did know about the heat palpitations and insomnia though!
One of the first rules of being a caregiver is to take care of yourself, or you will never be able to be a decent caregiver to the loved one, it could be easy to go down that slippery slope of resentment. That would be fair to nobody. People are amazed at how happy I am, and how happy my son is, but really, Lincoln said it best “people are about as happy as they choose to be”. And I make certain that I take good care of myself, with my outlet being my horses, and listening to good music.
