Thriving Carer: A Podcast for Unpaid Carers

This week I am exploring 'Controlling the controllable and let the rest go'. In the first section, I am talking about what control is and what is the difference between control and influence.  Then I will be looking at why it is important to recognise the impact trying to control events can have on your psychological wellbeing and then finally I explore how you can change the way you approach situations, that can be better for your own mental and physical wellbeing.

In this article, I will briefly outline some of the reasons for the change and provide an overview of the new approach we will taking and how these will be delivered.

This is the second of a two-part series in May, exploring and celebrating the power of music. In this week’s article I share my interview with Laura Atyeo, Founder of Open Harmony, as we discuss how different elements of music can help different people to find joy, support and friendship. 

This is the first of a two-part series in May, exploring and celebrating the power of music. In this week’s article, I am exploring how music can be a free, simple but very effective tool for helping you to reduce the psychological and physical effects of prolonged stress; how you can experience positive emotions such as flow and some questions to help you discover how much music could support you as an unpaid or working caregiver.

This week I am exploring the emotional and psychological elements of caring for a friend or loved one from a distance and provide some activities to manage and reduce the guilt and stress that can be associated with being a carer or caregivers in these circumstances.

This week, we are very fortunate to have with us as a guest, Michele Grant. Michele is a very experienced trainer and coach and she will be explaining more about vicarious trauma, burnout, and compassion fatigue, this builds on the overview I did in the podcast on the 17th of February. Then Michele will go through three key things that we can think about and consider as to whether or not we are experiencing compassion fatigue, and what we can do to become aware of it and to take positive action. So, I really hope you enjoyed this interview, it is really insightful and very interesting. 

If you would like to read the blog overview version of this interview please click here

This is the third and final interview in the series for March Male Carers Month and we are really lucky to have Brian Day with us today. Brian is a husband, father, and a working carer and campaigner supporting working carers in his workplace and across lots of different government departments. 

If you would like to read the blog overview version of this interview please click here

WARNING TRIGGERING CONTENT: 

I will be referring to death by suicide in this podcast

This week I am exploring why it matters to recognise and support men’s mental wellbeing; how we are doing this in “March Male Carers Month 2021” and how we would like to continue with this in the future, by collaborating with carers support groups and organisations supporting men’s mental health.

If you would like to read the blog overview version of this interview please click here

March Male Carers Month - Interview with David and Richar

Welcome to the second interview in our March Male Carers Month series of interviews and workshops supporting the mental wellbeing of male carers. Today's interview is with David and Richard. David is Richard's carer, but Richard himself has also been a carer, both as a young carer and as an adult. They share very honest and open experiences about being carers and also being a cared-for-person, which is very insightful and helpful to understand how it can be different for male carers when interacting with social care, and professional bodies, say nurses and doctors, and professions like that, but also as male gay carers. It's a different dynamic again, and it's a very interesting interview. So, please do listen, and I hope you enjoy...

If you would like to read the blog overview version of this interview please click here

March Male Carers Month - Interview with Greg Smith, Founder of Men Care Too

Welcome to the first interview in Carers’ Hearts series ‘March Male Carers Month’.

We are fortunate to have Greg Smith the founder of Men Care Too in Australia, join us today, so let’s go…