Karen's Hope Story

Karen had undertaken a Hope Programme previously and found it “quite helpful” so started training to be a peer supporter (with Learn 2B ). However, she found it too stressful to continue during the first lockdown. She liked to study, learn and finish what she started and so it was a huge disappointment not to complete this course. So when the Carers Trust suggested the Hope for carers course this year, she “didn’t have high expectations”.

However, doing the online Hope Programme for Carers has been “a very positive experience” for Karen this year. She liked being able to do this at her own pace, in her own time. On the previous course, Karen had struggled getting to & being present in a room with other people and didn’t disclose very much. This time, she liked the flexibility of being able to decide how much she shared online and being able to change her privacy settings, uploading photos of things she was grateful for so that the other carers could see them. She found that “all the other carers helped me and I felt I helped them”.

Karen’s photos posted as her gratitude posts - grateful for little things such as daffodils in Spring & being able to have her Covid vaccine.

As well as taking the Gratitude activity photos, Karen enjoyed the short informative video clips and illustrations, especially the “cartoony” ones! She has downloaded the 3-minute Mindfulness meditation on her phone to use during stressful times and is actively monitoring her own thoughts and wellbeing now – examples of how she is “carrying things forward” that she has learned on the course.

Karen has also found the goal-setting activity to be very useful. It has helped her to realise that she does achieve things every day in her caring and work roles and that she can give herself a reward for these. Karen recognises that stress had reduced her creativity so set herself a goal just to try a new art technique, once. She actually finished the piece and was pleased with the end result.

Karen’s photo of trying a new watercolour technique using masking fluid.

Karen believes that she found it easier to accept help in her role as a Carer on this course than she did to accept help ‘just’ for herself. Overall, Karen described her recent experience on the Hope for carers programme as “a really positive experience. I came away feeling more  positive”.