To feel utterly burnt out?

[Towntroubadour]

I have three kids (14, 13 and 10). My 13 and 10 year old are both autistic and have adhd. Youngest is profoundly autistic and has learning difficulties and has a medical condition. They both attend a specialist school. I work 32 hours a week thankfully term time only.

I feel utterly burnt out and miserable. My job though low paid is busy and often chaotic. I don’t feel like I have any control over my life anymore and post 19, I fear I’ll be returning to full time caring for my children. My 13 year old regularly expresses the desire to commit suicide and self harm and needs significant emotional support from me. We can’t access respite and it’s impossible to find carers locally. There’s no holiday schemes locally they could access. I feel like life is getting on top of me. Most mornings when the kids have gone to school I’ve found myself crying (I work from home so thankfully no one gets to see that).

How do I stop feeling like life is getting on top of me? Some days I feel like I can’t breath.

Wow! That’s a HARD road.

In practical terms I’d ask for a carer’s assessment via social care for YOUR needs. You are entitled to one.

Do all your children have social workers from the disabled SW team, and provision in section H of their EHCPs? They’re also entitled to them, it’s a section 17 assessment. Push super hard for this.

Also have you said all this to your GP? Mine wrote me a couple of prescriptions for things including ADs which have made a huge difference plus she gave me 90 Valium, to get me through the side effects of the first month or so.