At The Live In Care Company, we view self-care not as an add-on, but as the essential foundation upon which all excellent care and personal wellbeing is built. When you choose live in care, you are prioritising a stable, long-term arrangement and self-care is what maintains that stability for everyone involved. It allows our clients to engage more fully with their lives and their carer, and it ensures that our carers have the sustained energy and emotional resilience to deliver outstanding support day after day.

For clients, self-care is often about reclaiming autonomy and independence. The advice shared by the Occupational Therapists highlights how simple adaptations and breaking down complex tasks can transform daily routines, turning potential moments of frustration into achievements. This sense of control boosts self-esteem reduces anxiety about dependency, and ultimately, leads to a happier, more fulfilling experience of live in care. When clients feel empowered to participate in their own self-care, they are better able to enjoy the emotional and social benefits that live in care provides.

For carers, self-care is a crucial form of professional and personal maintenance. Live in care is deeply rewarding but also demanding, meaning the risk of burnout is real. Experts like Ruth Fogg and Dr. David Lee stress that consistent micro-pauses, intentional rest, and positive self-talk are not selfish acts; they are preventative measures. By looking after their own physical and psychological wellbeing, carers can approach their work with greater patience, focus, and empathy. This ultimately leads to a higher quality of care and helps foster a more harmonious and sustainable relationship with their client. Prioritising self-care ensures that compassion fatigue is kept at bay, allowing the carer to bring their best self to the role every day.

 

 

I’m Bronwyn Parkes from Chroma, the UK’s leading provider of creative arts therapies. My work focuses on helping people use music, art, and drama to express emotions, build resilience, and find moments of calm. Creative expression is a powerful form of emotional self-care, especially for those who may find it hard to express themselves verbally.

We invited Therapist Bronwyn Parkes to share her insights by answering the following questions.

 

Say you’re overwhelmed but only have ten minutes and a pencil, what’s one powerful, zero-pressure creative trick you’d teach us to help sort out those stressful feelings?

When someone feels overwhelmed, I often recommend a simple creative outlet such as drawing or scribbling freely for a few minutes. It’s not about creating a masterpiece, it’s about allowing thoughts and emotions to move onto the page. These spontaneous, pressure-free creative moments help regulate emotion and offer a sense of release.

 

How can we use specific playlists or simple music activities as a comforting self-care anchor to quickly ease anxiety or restlessness, especially for clients dealing with memory issues and why is this so effective?

Music is an incredibly effective tool for emotional regulation. I often encourage people to create playlists linked to positive memories or calming emotions. For clients living with dementia or memory challenges, music can stimulate recognition and provide reassurance. Even simple activities, like tapping along to rhythm or humming, can bring focus and reduce anxiety.

 

Caregiving is intense, so carving out ‘me time’ is key self-care. What’s one simple ‘musical pause’ or creative ritual a carer can use to consciously switch gears between work and their own downtime?

For carers, I suggest creating a short musical ritual that helps signal the end of the working day. Listening to a favourite calming song, humming a familiar tune, or playing soft background music can help the mind and body transition from ‘work mode’ to rest. Establishing these boundaries through music helps protect emotional wellbeing.

 

You can hear more from Bronwyn Parkes in her short video responses below, where she shares simple, creative ways to bring calm and joy into daily life.

• Creative outlets for emotional self-care
• Using music for comfort and calm
• ‘Musical pauses’ for carers

 

FREE creative wellbeing programme:

Chroma are offering a free creative wellbeing programme open to everyone, to take part please follow the link 12 Days of Creativity Programme

 

Chroma featured on our podcast, The Care Cast. Read the blog, ‘The Power of Music and Art Therapy: A Conversation with Chroma,’ or watch the full episode.

 

 

I’m Ruth Fogg, founder of Stressworx and a stress management consultant. I teach practical, psychology based techniques that help carers and clients manage pressure, prevent burnout, and maintain emotional balance.

When stress spikes, immediate self-care is crucial. What’s your go-to, 30-second secret weapon, something a carer can use quickly and quietly to reset their nervous system without leaving the room?

I often recommend Box Breathing, a simple but powerful technique to calm the body and mind. Breathe in for four counts, hold for four, exhale for four, and hold again for four. Repeating this pattern slows the heart rate and activates the body’s relaxation response. It’s quick, discreet, and can be done anywhere, ideal for carers who may not have time to step away from their responsibilities.

 

Self-care must be consistent. What’s the one tiny, less than five minute daily habit we can build into our routine that acts as a powerful long-term shield against total burnout?

In my experience, consistency is more effective than intensity. I advise building micro self-care habits into your day, small moments of awareness that allow the body and mind to reset. That could mean stretching for a minute, practising gentle breathing, or simply focusing on your surroundings. Even brief mindfulness breaks reduce cortisol and build resilience over time.

I also use and teach techniques such as EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique) and EMDR-style eye movement exercises to reduce stress quickly. These tools empower people to take control of their emotional state before stress builds up.

 

Why is internal self-talk a powerful form of self-care? How can just changing a few words in our heads turn a massive, stressful task into something that feels manageable?

I’ve seen how profoundly our inner dialogue shapes our stress response. I encourage people to replace self-defeating thoughts with positive affirmations such as:

• “I can do this.”
• “I am needed.”
• “I am making a difference.”

These statements reframe challenges as manageable tasks, shifting the brain from survival mode to problem-solving mode. With practice, positive self-talk becomes a habit, one that fosters calm confidence even in difficult moments.

 

Additional Resources:
Ruth’s has published several books ‘Stressed or Blessed: A diary for Carers’ and also books on EFT and stress resilience techniques. Available on amazon.

Downloadable tips and exercises for carers – Stress Management Resource from Stressworx  

 

Stressworx featured on our podcast, The Care Cast. Read the blog ‘From Compassion to Collaspe: Understanding and Managing Caregiver Stress‘ or watch the full episode.

 

I’m Dr David Lee, Clinical Director at Sleep Unlimited, where I specialise in helping people improve their sleep using cognitive and behavioural approaches. Sleep is a cornerstone of self-care, especially for carers whose rest is often disrupted.

For those who prefer a more in-depth explanation, I’ve recorded a short video discussing all three of these questions in detail. You can watch or listen before reading the summaries that follow.

Watch my video: Watch Video

 

If a carer is often woken during the night, what’s the smartest strategy to maximise the quality of rest they get during those brief, broken windows of sleep opportunity?

When sleep is disrupted, I advise leaving the bedroom if you’re unable to fall back asleep. Engage in a relaxing activity, perhaps reading or listening to calm music, until you feel sleepy again. This prevents frustration and helps your brain re-associate the bed with rest rather than wakefulness.

 

We all aim for good pre-sleep self-care, but what’s a surprisingly innocent bedtime activity that people assume helps them relax but actually interferes with getting restorative sleep?

Many people believe that having a warm milky drink or looking at a screen before bed helps them relax. In reality, both can disrupt sleep. Fluids increase the likelihood of night awakenings, and the blue light from screens suppresses melatonin, the hormone that helps us fall asleep. I suggest dim lighting, screen-free time, and gentle relaxation instead.

 

Why is the sleep environment so key to effective self-care? Besides cool and dark, what’s the easiest, overlooked tweak we can make to our bedroom to instantly improve the depth of our sleep?

A calm environment is essential for quality sleep. I recommend removing stimulating items such as televisions, books, or devices and using the bedroom solely for rest. Decluttering the space creates a clear mental boundary between wakefulness and sleep, improving both quality and duration of rest.

 

Additional Resources:

Dr David Lee has also provided additional resources to support better sleep, including a Sleep Tips guide, a Sleep Screening Questionnaire, and a Sleep Apnoea Questionnaire, which can be accessed by clicking the link below.

Sleep Tips 2025

Sleep Screening Questionnaire 2025

Sleep Apnoea Questionnaire 2025

 

Sleep Unlimited featured on our podcast, The Care Cast. Read the blog ‘Unlocking the Power of Sleep: Insights from Dr David Lee of Sleep Unlimited’ or watch the full episode.

 

 

 

We’re Michelle McHugh (Clinical Lead for Neuro and Spinal), Laura Barber (Clinical Lead for Trauma and Orthopaedics), and Amy Speight (Clinical Lead for Amputation and Limb Difference) at Think Therapy 1st. Together, we help clients regain confidence and independence through small, practical steps and tailored adaptations. We’re all pleased to bring our own areas of expertise to these questions, sharing insights from our different clinical perspectives within occupational therapy.

Many people we care for struggle with key self-care tasks like showering or getting dressed. From an OT perspective, what’s one easy way to break down a complex task into smaller, less frustrating steps to boost a client’s independence and confidence?

Laura: One of the most effective OT strategies is activity analysis – which means breaking a complex activity into manageable, sequential steps. For example, dressing can be split into: choosing clothes, preparing and planning items needed, putting on underwear, then trousers/skirt, putting on top/shirt/jumper, managing fastenings (buttons/zips/velcro) and putting on tights/socks/shoes. Once broken down, we can grade the tasks starting with the easiest step and gradually increasing complexity. We might begin with loose-fitting clothes or adaptive garments, and use visual or verbal prompts to guide each step. This approach reduces overwhelm, builds confidence, and allows the client to experience success early on -which is key for motivation and promoting independence!

Michelle: From a cognitive rehab perspective, we want to reduce overwhelm and support executive function. That means breaking tasks into small, manageable steps, like a mental flowchart. For dressing, it might be: choose clothes, lay them out, sit down, top half, bottom half, socks. Visual prompts, colour-coded drawers, or even a checklist can help someone stay focused and feel in control. It’s not just about getting dressed, it’s about reclaiming independence. Organisation can also really help when it comes to self-care. Clear environment, support vision and having clear areas for specific things. Also, self-care doesn’t need to be in the morning. Factoring in fatigue and adapting to the time of day that cognitively works better for someone is really important.

Amy: As Occupational Therapists, we love activity analysis! And the key is to think about the task at hand, in its entirety, from start to finish (even the timing, what a person is doing before and after, and demands of the whole day). Start by thinking about what that person’s strengths are, and what is most important to them. Which elements of their routine can they have complete autonomy with? Do they just need the environment to be set up for them and then only supported in gaining access? Simple aids can make a real difference, soap dispensers and mounted shower brushes can make the world of difference, having somewhere warm to sit and get dry before leaving the shower/bath can really help if someone is worried about slipping and falling, and aids such as a wash-dry toilet or a body dryer can be great if someone is struggling with fatigue or an upper limb injury.

 

What is one simple, low cost adaptation or piece of equipment that you find is an absolute game changer for helping clients successfully manage their own hygiene or eating, and why does this independence matter so much for their well-being?

Laura: Long-handled sponge. A long-handled sponge is a really simple, low-cost, high-impact tool for clients with limited shoulder mobility, post-surgical restrictions, or pain. It allows them to reach their back, legs, or feet without straining, making showering safer and helping them increase their independence with washing. For clients with reduced balance, strength, or fear of falling, a non-slip bathmat can make bathing safer and reduce anxiety of slipping. It provides secure footing and grip, especially for those with limited mobility or proprioception issues. Why it matters: Regaining control and independence with personal hygiene restores a sense of autonomy and dignity. It reduces dependence on carers, boosts self-esteem, and supports mental well-being.

Michelle: A mirror with step-by-step prompts around the edge can be a game-changer for hygiene routines. It supports memory, orientation, and self-monitoring, especially for people with cognitive fatigue or reduced attention. For eating, a plate with high contrast or a one-handed utensil can reduce decision fatigue and motor planning demands. These tools protect dignity and reduce the emotional toll of dependence, which is vital for long-term wellbeing.

Amy: I work a lot with people who have suffered upper limb loss and one piece of equipment that I really love is a hook or a dressing tree! Can’t quite reach to pull your clothes up or down….hook it on. Need to fill a hot water bottle…hang it up. Need to stand up for donning/doffing your prosthetics…hang them up. Want to get the shopping out the boot but not put it on the floor after it has rained…hang it up. Placed in helpful and ergonomically sound places, these simple items can make a huge difference to someone’s independence.

 

Self-care isn’t just about chores; it’s about joy! As an OT, what’s your advice for a live-in carer on how to help a client reengage in a lost hobby or leisure activity, even with significant physical or cognitive limitations?

Laura: Encourage the carer to start with the client’s story, what did they love doing before? Whether it was gardening, painting, knitting, or playing music, there’s often a way to adapt it or find a new activity which offers similar benefits/simulates this.

For example, if a client is no longer able to play guitar due to fracture or nerve injury, can you try digital music apps, tablet based instrument simulators, adaptive picks/strumming gloves, or other instruments? For cognitive limitations, structure and repetition are key. Create a routine around the hobby, offer choices, and celebrate small wins. Even passive participation (e.g., listening to music) can spark joy and re-connection. The goal isn’t perfection, it’s participation. Leisure activities nourish identity, reduce isolation, and bring meaning to daily life!

Michelle: Self-care isn’t just about tasks – it’s about joy and identity. Start with what’s emotionally familiar. If someone loved gardening, maybe they can water indoor plants or choose seeds. If they enjoyed music, create a weekly ritual, like “Tuesday is music day.” Even five minutes of meaningful activity can reduce agitation, improve mood, and reconnect someone with who they are beyond their diagnosis. It’s about co-creating joy, not just recreating the past.

Amy: I would absolutely advocate for accessing peer support opportunities. Many MANY people that I have had the pleasure of meeting have understood what might be accessible to them through approaching networks such as Limb Power, The Calvert Trust, Sport England, Everybody Moves or Enhancing Skills for Life. Attending workshops or events with peers can give the client that little bit more confidence to try things out, but it can also give the carer ideas and inspiration that rarely come through isolated efforts. You may well stumble across an unexpected gem that brings some fun into your life. Connection is, so often, the key!

 

Both Michelle McHugh and Amy Speight have also recorded short videos sharing their expert insights and practical tips. You can watch their clips below to hear them discuss their answers in more detail.

Michelle ‘Cognitive Self-Care’ video 

Amy ‘Practical Tips for Self-Care’ video

 

Think Therapy 1st featured on our podcast, The Care Cast. Read the blog ‘How Occupational Therapy Transforms Lives’ or watch the full episode.

 

 

 

We asked Sara Hemming Founder of Crystal Clear Perspective to share her top self-care tips. As a Sound Bath Therapist and her background as a occupational therapist and case manager, Sara draws on a wealth of professional experience to offer practical advice for everyday wellbeing.

My Top 10 Self-Care Tips

1. Micro-pauses, not big breaks. 60 seconds of slow breathing or grounding between tasks regulates the nervous system far more effectively than waiting for a big rest that may never come.
2. Pick one non-negotiable. Choose one thing you will do daily (a walk, hydration, reading, stretching). Consistency is more protective than intensity.
3. Close the day intentionally. A 3-minute “end of shift” ritual (tidy desk, close laptop, step outside) tells the brain the workday is finished, reducing rumination in the evening.
4. Regulate before you respond. If you notice stress, take 3 slow breaths before speaking. This prevents reactive communication and helps maintain capacity when under pressure.
5. Reduce decision load. Simplify routine choices (meals, morning routine, outfits) to conserve mental energy for the things that really matter.
6. Care for the body to care for the mind. Rhythm is protective: regular meals, water, and sleep patterns keep the nervous system stable.
7. Say ‘I need a moment’ instead of pushing through. Taking a short pause prevents overwhelm far more effectively than continuing while dysregulated.
8. Limit sensory overload. Softening noise, light, and digital notifications reduces background stress and improves emotional clarity.
9. Connect meaningfully once per day. A genuine conversation, shared smile, or check-in has a measurable stabilising effect on emotional wellbeing.
10. Self-care is maintenance, not a reward. It is not something you earn after exhaustion, it is what protects you from reaching exhaustion.

 

Final Thoughts

Self-Care Week reminds us that wellbeing isn’t about grand gestures, it’s about small, consistent actions that nurture mind and body. Whether it’s creative expression, deep breathing, or a few extra minutes of rest, these expert strategies show that caring for yourself helps you care better for others.

At The Live In Care Company, we’re proud to support carers and clients in building lives that are balanced, fulfilling, and full of compassion.