How do you do it?

How do you all do it? I have a friend who suffers with Schizo affective Disorder and nearly became a carer for him. I have to say, I found our whole friendship very draining and very difficult to cope with. Spent days and nights crying with all the stress.

How do you all spend years coping with looking after someone with hardly any support network and the stress and heartbreak?

If you are going to be doing that for such a long period of time - and that it's proving to be draining - then trying to not make it such a huge part of your life would help. You can continue to do it at a certain capacity, for example, but just not as much as you used to. Some things that we do in life will never be rewarding, no matter the effort we put in. However, we can learn to do them at a certain pace/level/effort, such that they don't affect us too badly... Just give what you can, and that should be enough.

You have your own life and body to look after too though... remember that. Never compromise your own life..

Take care,
Kevin