As relatives of sick family members, many people may feel like they have hit a wall after burning the candle at both ends for a long time.

Many people do not even realize that they need help or some kind of outlet for all the thoughts and feelings they carry inside. Others turn to family members, but they have their own thoughts and often need an outlet themselves.

How you react when someone you love falls ill or has an accident is very individual. In the event of death, and especially if you lose a child or spouse, talking to someone or couples therapy can be a great source of help during a difficult time.

In the event of a sudden and unexpected death or when caring for someone in the family with a long-term illness, reactions will be somewhat different, but the need will be the same.

When your child is ill

One of our most important primary tasks as parents is to take care of our children, protect them, and ensure that they are well. Their needs come before our own, and we are willing to sacrifice everything to make them healthy if they fall ill. And that is how it should be, of course.

But we are not superhuman, and over time you can break down without even noticing it. Many families with seriously ill children say that the whole family can end up in a bubble.

The rest of the world slowly disappears and fades away, and everything revolves around survival. This also greatly affects siblings, who automatically become part of the bubble. They may feel left out, but accept it.

There is a reason why, when traveling with children on a plane, you are given specific instructions on how to behave in an emergency. You must put on your own oxygen mask before putting one on your child.

You cannot help your child if you lose consciousness yourself. Similarly, you must take care of yourself in order to continue caring for your sick child. Parents may experience the following, among other things:

• Poor and insufficient sleep, as well as exhaustion.
• Depression and the experience of a continuous grieving process.
• Have a constant guilty conscience and feel like you are on an emotional roller coaster.
• Insulation
• Relationship breakdown due to the strain on the family and marriage

Family therapy

It is not only the adults in the family who can benefit from talking to a psychologist in such a situation. The children in the family will also be affected by having a sibling who is seriously ill and in need of long-term care.

Siblings tend to keep many of their feelings and thoughts to themselves. By participating in family therapy led by specialists, they can communicate with each other in a new way. Psychologists know how to start conversations that encourage us to talk about things we have kept hidden.

It is important that children are given the opportunity to talk about what is happening in their lives. That there is room for them to open up, and that they learn that no thoughts or feelings are bad. It is often much easier to say things out loud to an outsider than to parents, whom children often try to protect.

Couples therapy

Cohabitants and spouses often benefit greatly from couples therapy, especially in life situations that affect the family as a whole. In order to continue to be strong together and individually, couples therapy will be like an investment in the relationship and the family.

Seeking help does not make you weak. It can sometimes be easier to talk about certain things with the help of a therapist, and you may discover things about each other that can strengthen your relationship.