Blanket or Sword (Burnout) by Annabelle Martin

With grateful thanks to our blogger Annabelle.

15 September 2023

Blanket or Sword (Burnout)

by Annabelle Martin

Hey. Hi (heavy sigh) Is everything alright?? Not really to be honest. You… Want to talk about it?? Not really. Fair enough. Well do you want the blanket or the sword?? The… What?? Blanket or Sword??

Bet you’re wondering what that means. Well… allow me to specify.

So Blanket or Sword basically means do you want comfort to your problems (Blanket) or to try and find a solution to what’s worrying you (Sword). I first heard this expression on TikTok of all places!! From a creator I follow called Quincy’s Tavern who does DnD (Dungeons and Dragons) content (youtube.co.uk).

In this video he talks about the struggles that caregivers such as: Parents/Guardians, Friends, Older Siblings, Partners and many more people in this world. Sometimes when they are so busy looking after people they forget to look after themselves which comes at risk of Burnout. Here are some of the symptoms to look out for: Feeling tired or rundown, feeling anxious more, getting unwell more, forgetting to have fun and just feeling helpless about life. (Smith, 2019)

Burnout can also lead to anxiety, depression and forgetting to take care of our personal hygiene and just forgetting to look after ourselves which means they can’t look after the people they care for. It’s a dangerous cycle, see?? If you don’t look after you, who’s going to look after them?? See what I mean now??

However even though burnout can happen it can also be treated too. The main treatment?? ASK FOR HELP!! Yes, I know it sounds like… “DUHH, Course!!” But sometimes Caregiving can take over your life and you basically forget about you and your life. So never be afraid to reach out to friends or loved ones. And there are professionals around as well to help ease the pain from you such as Respite Carers who are on hand to deal with all types of people and what they need help with.

Share the load. If there’s is a few of you take turns in what you do. E.G One person handles cooking, another does the cleaning and someone else handles all of the financial worries (if there are any) because the more people there is, the less stress there is on YOU.

Lastly do a ‘Check in’ every now and then. Like every two weeks call someone just to chat about things in life. Things happening now, the last two weeks, things you’re looking forward in the upcoming future. And meeting them in your favourite places absolutely helps as you can get out and take some time for you.

So the next time you’re feel not great, or if taking care of someone is starting to get a little bit too much just remember to ask yourself… Would you like the Blanket or the Sword??

References: Breathing Spaces for Caregivers. (2023). Blanket or Sword. [Online] Available at: https://breathingspacesfc.com/2023/03/blanket-or-sword/ [Accessed 7 Sep. 2023].
Smith, M. (2019). Caregiver Stress and Burnout. [Online] HelpGuide.org. Available at: https://www.helpguide.org/articles/stress/caregiver-stress-and-burnout.htm.www.youtube.com. [Accessed 7 Sep. 2023].
(n.d.). QUINCY’S TAVERN- BLANKET OR SWORD? #shorts #quincystavern. [Online] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/DKHNoyTq0J8 [Accessed 7 Sep. 2023].