As a mother and carer I've learnt that carer burnout is NOT the same as parenting burnout..

Don’t get me wrong parenting burnout is absolutely real!

Although caring for a child with additional needs, disabilities, trauma, mental health challenges, chronic illness or neurodivergence can be a completely different burnout 😴

You’re always switched on with a million tabs open at once, monitoring emotions, managing appointments, advocating in schools, navigating systems, attending therapies, researching supports, responding to crises and carrying the emotional weight of what your child is experiencing

When you finally sit down your nervous system is still on high alert

I see you! I see the work nobody sees

Those meetings that took months to prepare for, all the phone calls, reports, battles with services, sleepless nights wondering how your child is coping and the grief that can come from letting go of expectations and learning to embrace a different path

I’ve lived this too, I know why so many carers end up running on adrenaline for years. You’ve  become incredibly capable, resourceful and resilient although  underneath that strength is exhaustion

This is exactly why the work I do is important to me. It’s been my reality for a long time and I know how much difference it can make to have someone supporting you.

If you’re a carer what’s something you wish more people understood about what you carry behind those doors?

🤍✨🫶🏼