Remember This by George Somers

sometimes, I feel I'll lose my mind

hope strays further getting harder and harder to find

each time I try to keep myself together

surely this can’t be my forever

don’t get me wrong, I don’t think others “have it better”

I just want them to understand

how hard it is for carers like me to make a stand

have our voices heard, our actions seen

as all our lives we’ve hidden behind the scenes

keeping our cool, trying our best

even when we’re long overdue a rest

every second we spend not doing feels wrong

like we're meant to always keep going along

without stopping even sleep seems a waste of time

fearing we've forgotten to do something every single night

like we've committed a heinous act

when that couldn’t be further from fact

we need time to ourselves

or more so to be ourselves

whether it’s reading a book or writing one

going out with friends and having fun

we all need that time away

away from our role and to take a break

that means you, yes you

the one relating so hard to this

it feels like you’re the one who wrote it

I know it’s hard to give yourself a break

so you here are some notes you need to take

resting does not mean you’ve given up
recharging does not mean you weren’t enough, far from it, in fact you’ve probably done too much
take a seat, pause and breathe deep
it is vital to take care of yourself; especially when your role is to look after someone else
you have a right to feel free and able to breathe, you have a right to have many moments of peace

and remember this

there will always be someone out there willing to listen and offer support, all you have to do is be willing to let them