Caregivers need to take care of themselves, too
For Jessica Renda, the breaking point was a particularly chaotic Christmas season. Consumed by her eldest daughters mental and behavioral health struggles, she stopped exercising or doing anything else that brought her joy. Forget holiday magic, she was barely hanging on. After that, I was like, I really need to take care of myself, she said. We always tell people that old clich: Its like the oxygen mask on a plane. But its really true. You cant be a successful or good caregiver to somebody else if youre not taking care of yourself. Renda leads a support group for parents