David's Hope Story

David has been caring for around 5 years. He considers himself to have “some inclination” about how to care and how to look after himself, whilst also working. He’s been on other courses and is a member of carers’ support groups. However, he is always “trying to get strategies in place so I’ve got a game plan if something unexpected happens”. He feels that the Hope Programme for Carers in Scotland has added new information to his knowledge about being a carer.

As a carer, David knows not to expect positive feedback, and that there aren’t always easy answers to problems that arise. The Hope Programme has taught David to recognise if he’s getting into a “negative tunnel with no end”. He now understands how to change the way he thinks about his situation, so that he can change his behaviour, and how to work out a solution to get out of that tunnel. David made notes during the course about this and keeps going through them, to help instil them into his memory.

David also plans on taking some of the video talks from the Hope Programme to his support groups. He’s done some training before and hopes to be able to do a talk about some of the principles, in order to help other carers.

However, the best bits for David were the Self-compassion and Gratitude sections of the course. He sees that by being compassionate towards himself and grateful for what he does have in his life, it can help him to cope with his caring role.

Recognising that looking after himself is very important, he is making time to visit a large local public garden near to his home. “I can get away from everything” he says. “I don’t worry about anything at all, amongst the trees. It’s very restful”.