Rosemary’s Story
‘‘I have good days and bad days. I help so many people but don’t always know how to help myself. Sometimes I like to be in a room shut off from everybody. It gives my brain and myself enough time to process everything that’s in my head. It helps me to recharge my batteries and refocus. It’s easy to get weighed down by it all and it just overflows. Then I can’t stop the overflow until something changes or I just have to snap out of it.”
Rosemary’s daughter lives with a difficult mental health issue. When her grandson was born, Rosemary had to decide if she would care for her daughter or grandson. To prevent her grandson from going into adoptive care, Rosemary became a Kinship Carer. She also tries to support her daughter as much as possible whilst trying to take care of her Dad, who also has a diagnosis of a mental health condition.
Being close to nature helps Rosemary to cope with the challenges that she often faces in her daily life. Rosemary finds lavender has a positive effect on her well-being. She remembers seeing a picture of a lavender field and it helped her to feel peaceful. Rosemary took a photograph of it. When she is feeling overwhelmed she takes it out to look at it. ’It’s calming and I feel like I could just run free in the lavender. Sometimes when I look at the picture I just want to hide in the lavender field. It’s breath taking really’.
Trees are also significant to Rosemary, ‘When I looked at this tree I thought wow, how strong and alive it is. It reminds me of me. I feel strong with many branches coming off me. The branches are the people I care for. But the negative thing is the ivy, as it’s strangling the tree. When I’m not feeling strong enough to cope with everyone, I feel like the negativity is strangling me. It can stop me helping others. It means at times I’m not able to do everything I want to for other people’.
Rosemary also finds peace and calmness when she is near water, ‘I love waterfalls. They make me feel calm and like I’m running free. When I look at water I find strength and seem to have a burst of energy’.
Happiness to Rosemary is the feeling of freedom to run up and down hills. Something she would like to do with Jack one day.
My Life As A Kinship Carer by Rosemary
I need to be strong
I need to have the upper hand
I need to stay focused
I need to stay positive
I need help
I need to think of myself
It’s hard to stay strong
It’s hard to keep the upper hand
It’s hard to stay focused
It’s hard to stay positive
It’s hard to get help
It’s hard to think of myself
You can stay strong
You can have the upper hand
You can stay focused
You can stay positive
You can get help
You can look out for yourself
So stay positive