I am taking care of my elderly parents, my father was just diagnosed with moderate Alzheimers and has severe spinal stenosis. He can barely walk and is always a high risk for falling. My mom is in ok health but not great. They live in a wonderful elderly housing community with lots of support. We just moved them there and I emptied their giant, old house of 45 years worth of crap, sold the house and did all the work of settling them in. I also work full time and have three children, the oldest, whom I am very close to, is leaving for college in September. My job entails helping people and counseling which can be draining. I feel like no one (friends and family) understands how hard all of this is to balance. I get some support from one sibling but not much from the others. I don't feel like doing anything, going anywhere, being with friends or my usual activities. Tears are always right there ready to spill. I'm not sure if I am being too dramatic and poor me as there are so many out there with things way worse. Thoughts?
When I'm feeling like your are, I "hibernate" and watch TV, do crossword puzzles, read, sleep and that works for me. But I'm single and alone and that's how I recharge my batteries (along with playing pickleball). Other people might need more support from friends or family - for me, that's a drain, because I'm usually the one taking care of everyone else.
So do what you need to do to take care of YOU! You deserve it and you have every right to take it. And be as weepy as you want about your child leaving for college. Just be sure you have help if you fall down too far into the well of sadness. {{{{{Hugs}}}} from one fellow caregiver to another!
After you get on antidepressants if that's recommended, you let your siblings know that, going forward you will be taking regular respite.