Caring for someone & your mental health
Caring for someone can be important to you and still ask a lot of your time and energy. Your own health and preferences belong in the conversation, too. Explore where you might find practical and emotional support.
Start with what caring means in your life.
You may help someone with everyday needs, appointments or emotional support without thinking of yourself as a carer. The support you need can depend on what you do and the rest of your life.
Caring does not automatically mean burnout or a mental-health condition. You can ask for help with practical demands or your own wellbeing without needing a diagnosis.
Based on NHS · England social-care context · Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust
Your needs have a place alongside caring.
- Your wellbeing
Health, feelings and time
- Practical demands
Where help is needed
- Available support
Local services and people
- Your request
A starting point you choose
The practical load deserves to be named.
Caring can involve emotional support, coordination and ordinary tasks as well as direct personal care. Your own health, relationships and time matter. A support conversation should include what you can realistically continue doing.
The load
Which tasks or responsibilities are becoming difficult?
Shared support
Who or which service could take on part of the work?
Your health
What care or time do you need for yourself?
Based on NHS
Which of your needs could use more attention?
These are conversation prompts, not a caregiver burden score.
Your own health
Your own appointments, sleep or health needs are hard to fit in.
Responsibilities
You would like time or help with some responsibilities.
Someone to talk to
You need someone to talk to about your experience.
Local support
You want to understand which local support routes you can ask about.
Based on NHS · England social-care context · Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust
A carer's assessment considers your support needs.
In England, NHS guidance describes a carer's assessment through a local council. It looks at the effect of caring on your life and possible support. It is different from the assessment of the person you care for.
Elsewhere, ask local health or social-care services about the equivalent route. What is available and eligibility vary. You can also discuss your own health with a healthcare professional.
Based on NHS · England social-care context · Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust
- 1The effect on you
What caring asks of your time, health and energy.
- 2The help you need
A particular task, break or emotional-support conversation.
- 3What is available
Which local service can explain options and eligibility.
Put your needs on the page, too.
Choose one idea that fits your caring situation.
Name a need of your own
An appointment, a conversation or some help with a responsibility can be a starting point.
Find a local route
Ask a health, social-care or carer service what support is available where you live.
Make a specific request
If possible, tell a trusted person what help would be useful rather than expecting them to guess.
Based on NHS · England social-care context · Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust
Practical help and emotional support can sit together.
Explore the options and ask what fits your circumstances and needs.
Based on NHS · England social-care context · Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust
Ask about a plan for breaks and changing needs.
A carer’s assessment in England considers your own support needs separately from those of the person you care for. Arrangements elsewhere differ; ask local health or social services what is available.
Practical relief and shared care may be needed alongside emotional support. Rest advice alone cannot replace an arrangement that makes a break possible.
Based on NHS · Torbay NHS
Find support. Prepare your next step.
Explore a tool, prepare a conversation or find someone to talk to. Choose what feels useful to you.
Use the free guides to learn what to expect or find someone to talk to. If you need urgent help, go straight to the country-labeled support contacts.
Find urgent supportPrepare for a conversation
A few prompts to help you explain what you have noticed and what you would like help with.
- A simple notes builder
- Copy your notes to keep
- No account needed
You decide how much to write and share.
Find your wordsFind your next kind of support
Explore where to begin with everyday support, professional help or an urgent conversation.
- Ways to ask for help
- Country-specific crisis contacts
- Support at your own pace
If you need urgent help, go straight to support.
Find supportYour first sentence does not need to be perfect.
You might begin: “I care for someone, and I need help with this part of my life.” You can prepare without writing the other person's name, diagnosis or health history here.
Based on NHS · England social-care context · Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust
“I care for someone, and I would like support with my own health and these responsibilities.”Make it sound like you
Your questions, with room for nuance.
You can read just the answer you need.
Is a carer’s assessment a test of the person I support?
No. In the England service described here, it concerns your needs as a carer. It is distinct from the other person’s needs assessment.
Based on NHS
Where this information comes from.
Use this hub to learn and prepare questions. It does not diagnose you or recommend a personal treatment plan. By Selfmora editorial; sources checked . Updated .
Additional explanations and examples: sources consulted . Examples illustrate ideas; they do not assess your personal health. Your questions
Our editorial approach