A note to caregivers: “Save some love for yourself”

Consistent with the airplane oxygen mask analogy (before you put a mask on your child, you must put yours on first), we realized if we want to encourage the people we love with Down syndrome to prioritize nourishment in their lives and notice when they feel stressed or depleted, we need to model that for ourselves. We can live in such a way where we recognize the value of our own mental health. Even at times when we can’t fix how we are feeling, we can approach these moments with gentleness and care.

Our workshop ended with some reminders worth repeating:
• In our stressful day-to-day lives, it is up to us to know what we need to feel nourished as opposed to depleted. But knowing this is only the first step.
• We have to help others understand what we need as well as what we don’t need.
• Remember different people need different things, even if their situations seem similar on the outside, and the same people can need different things at different times.
• We have to look inward on a regular basis, even if it makes us vulnerable, as a first step toward self-care.
• And if we are not doing as well as we would like, it is up to us to ask for help.

As Sue Robins explained, “Save some love for yourself.” We owe this to our families and we owe it to ourselves. As Canadian Down Syndrome week draws to a close, I hope we can celebrate disability and celebrate caregiving. Both need our love and attention.

To read more from Sue Robins about parent mental health and Down syndrome, click here.
To read more about family mental health and dual diagnosis (developmental disability and mental illness), read here. There is a full chapter in our family guide on dual diagnosis ABOUT self-care.