Being a Veteran and a Caregiver

This is the first blog post I have posted in a little over five months.

My last one was New Year’s Day.

In these last five months, I have taken the time to really look at myself and take care of myself and get the help I need. I started individual therapy, I started guided meditation, I joined a support group through the VA, and I have stopped putting all of the weight of my household on my shoulders. I started noticing my issues more and more. It was affecting me mentally, physically, spiritually, and emotionally. I noticed my depression was getting worse and worse. I knew I needed to get help, fast.

I never knew how being a Veteran would affect my ability to be a caregiver and a mother on top of that. I met my wife, we got married, and I had two kids and a dog instantly. The adjustment period for that was a tough one. I had to adjust to two different things at once. My anxiety has been through the roof.

I never realized I had so many triggers for my anger. When things are not where they are supposed to be, or when people don’t clean up after themselves, or when I have to constantly remind someone to do something really get to me. But why? This is the stuff that happens to people within their families every day. This doesn’t leave me very much patients for Candace, and I really have had to throttle it back and look at myself and clean up my act quickly. Don’t get me wrong… I still have some issues, and I’m still working on it. I love my family and they mean everything to me.

The last five months have been difficult for me in every way. Plus with all of this COVID-19 stuff going on, it has not made things any easier for myself or my family. With Candace being so immunocompromised, she hasn’t been able to leave the house. I leave every now and then, and the kids hardly leave either. With the kids being home all the time, we are spending “two summer breaks” with them, as Candace put it recently. I’m so exhausted.

Since the new year, I have learned a lot about myself. I have also been trying to learn and understand more about Candace. Things have not been easy for her either. Thankfully she has been more stable these days physically, and everyone in our household is safe and healthy. That is one thing I won’t take for granted.

Over the last five months, I have been working more on getting my business up and running. It has been an adventure and something that has been really positive in my life. I’ve been updating my website, gaining more experience, and working with a diverse clientele on multiple projects. I have the support of my wife and my family, which I know I would not be able to do this without, and I have worked with some amazing clients. I have enjoyed doing what I do, and I’m glad to have started a business doing what I am passionate about. My website is www.kristinehutchinson.com for my editing and writing services business.

I still have a long way to go, but thankfully I am heading in the right direction. I have some steady work, and I have a few personal projects including some books, both fiction and nonfiction, that I hope to publish soon.

I’m looking forward to the second half of 2020 and what it will bring!