184 - Managing the Stress of Being a Caretaker with Actor Nathan Kress

The Verywell Mind Podcast

Dotdash Media Inc.

Health & Fitness, Self-improvement, Mental Health, Education

5 • 703 Ratings

🗓️ 11 July 2022

⏱️ 36 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Nathan Kress is an actor who is best known for playing Freddie Benson on the Nickelodeon sitcom iCarly, which aired between 2007 and 2012. In 2021, he reprised his role in the iCarly revival. He’s also the co-host of a podcast called RadioActive Dads. He and his co-host, fellow actor Brett Davern, talk about their experiences raising kids. Nathan is also a caregiver. His wife has endometriosis, and at times, her symptoms are debilitating. Some of the things he talks about in today's episode are how he and his wife dealt with grief following five miscarriages, how he takes care of himself, and his mental health tips for other caregivers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Welcome to the Very Well Mind podcast. We've interviewed over 100 authors, experts, entrepreneurs, athletes, musicians, and others to help you learn strategies to care for your mental health.
0:22.9	This episode is hosted by psychotherapist and bestselling author Amy Morin. Now let's get into the episode.
0:46.3	Okay. Today I'm talking about what it's like to be a caregiver.
0:53.4	It's estimated that about 17% of Americans are caregivers to another adult with either an illness or a disability.
0:55.5	That means a significant amount of you are helping someone else, like an elderly parent with dementia or a partner with cancer.
1:00.5	Yet we don't talk much about the stress of caregiving. And many people who are caregivers feel
1:05.5	kind of alone and isolated as they try to navigate all the complexities that come with being a caregiver.
1:10.9	Finding help, accessing resources, and managing day-to-day life gets really complicated
1:15.7	when you're not just managing your own affairs, but when you're also responsible to help
1:20.0	somebody else.
1:21.7	Years ago, I had a therapy client who was this really kind man who had decided that he was
1:26.2	going to help his friend, who had
1:27.7	ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease. As the friend's health deteriorated, my client stepped up and
1:33.8	helped him even more. His friend used to say, I'm sorry to be a burden on you. My client would say,
1:39.9	actually, it's a burden I welcome. He didn't want to deny that it was a huge responsibility
1:44.0	to help care for his friend.
1:46.0	He acknowledged it, but he also made it clear that there was no other place he'd rather be than right there helping him.
1:52.0	Eventually, the friend had to go to a nursing home, and my client still showed up faithfully to visit him and help take care of him.
1:58.1	And the therapy office, he acknowledged how difficult it was, but he also said
2:01.5	that not helping his friend would be even more painful. I think that's what a lot of care givers
2:06.3	experience. Yes, it's hard, but it would be harder not to be right there helping a loved one who
2:11.2	needs help. So today I'm talking to actor Nathan Cress. He's been in lots of TV shows, but the one that he's probably
	...

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