Activity 5 – Start a diary

When being a Carer it is important that you find the time to think and reflect on what you have been doing. It is often difficult to remember what you have been doing when your day is busy and full. One of the easiest ways to do this therefore is to keep notes in a diary or note pad.

By keeping notes and reviewing them you will begin to think why you had either a good or bad day. It can also be useful for medical appointments.

Keeping notes will help you remember how you have felt during your day. You will begin to recognise patterns emerging and so develop your understanding of what has worked well and what has not worked. This can be quite daunting on occasion and you can find yourself evaluating yourself, questioning your thoughts or re-learning skills. It can also be quite useful and rewarding - why not put it to the test?

Ideas could include:

• Identifying behavioural patterns
• Logging medical appointments
• Therapeutic.

Activity 5 – Summary

It really is a good idea to look back over your reflections after a week and then after a month. This will help you identify your feelings and highlight how your care practice has changed. You will be quite surprised by how your thoughts, emotions and feelings will change as you gain in experience and become more confident and competent with your caring skills and the personality of the person for whom you care.