Building Emotional Resilience While Caring for Two Chronically Ill Parents

Caring for one aging parent can be overwhelming but caring for two parents with chronic mental health conditions like a mother with dementia and a father with schizophrenia can feel like you are constantly trying to keep your head above water. The emotional weight of watching your parents change, sometimes not even recognizing you, while also managing their daily needs, medications, moods and medical appointments is more than most people ever expect to handle.

At Samvedna Care, we understand how hard caregiving can be. We believe that being emotionally strong isn’t just helpful but it’s necessary.

In this blog, we will explore what emotional resilience really means, why it matters in caregiving and how you can build and protect it while supporting two chronically ill parents. We will also share how tools like mental health counselling online can be a practical source of strength during your caregiving journey.

What is Emotional Resilience?

Emotional resilience means being able to deal with stress and tough situations. It does not mean you don’t feel sad, hurt or upset. It means that even when things get tough, you can find ways to cope, recover and keep going without breaking down.

If you are taking care of an elderly mother with dementia, it can be heart breaking when she forgets who you are and on the other hand other parent has schizophrenia, you might have to deal with things like confusion, strange beliefs or seeing and hearing things that aren’t there. Talking to him may feel very difficult. Each parent needs a different kind of care, and you are stuck in the middle, trying to manage both. That’s why it’s so important to build emotional strength and learn how to take care of your own feelings too.

When you’re caring for two elderly parents with mental health conditions, it can be extremely overwhelming. You might feel constant emotional stress, sadness, fear, guilt or even anger. You may get tired of making decisions all the time, both big and small. If you live with your parents, it can be hard to set boundaries and you might feel like you never get a break. It’s also common to feel alone, as if no one truly understands what you’re going through. Over time, you may even start to lose your sense of self and feel like you’re only a caregiver not the person you used to be. This kind of ongoing stress can lead to burnout, depression and even health problems. But it doesn’t have to be this way. There are things you can do to take care of yourself too.

So, here are a few ways to build emotional resilience

1. Acknowledge that this is hard:

The first step is to stop pretending you’re okay when you’re not. You’re allowed to say, “This is really difficult.” You’re allowed to cry. You’re allowed to feel angry at the situation. Being honest about your feelings isn’t weakness, it’s self-awareness and it helps you manage your emotions instead of suppressing them.

2. Seek professional support:

Many caregivers feel they should “just handle it.” But emotional and mental stress needs just as much attention as physical exhaustion.
Mental health online counselling, like the services offered by Samvedna Care, gives you access to trained therapists who understand caregiving, dementia, schizophrenia and other mental health concerns and the emotional toll of it all.
Talking to a counsellor even once a month can help you process grief, learn coping strategies and simply feel heard.

3. Create micro moments of self-care:

You may not have the time or energy for a spa day or long vacations. But resilience is built in small daily habits, not grand events. Try:

• Drinking water and eating regularly 
• Sitting in the sun for at least 10 minutes a day
• Writing down 3 things that went okay today
• Saying no when you can’t take on one more thing

4. Set boundaries without guilt:

You are not a machine. If your mother is asking the same question for the 10th time or your father is expressing paranoid thoughts or seems withdrawn, it’s okay to take a break.
Step outside. Ask a family member or helper to step in for an hour. Resilience comes from preserving your energy not using it all up.

5. Accept the things you cannot control:

Dementia and schizophrenia are both long term conditions. There will be good days and very hard ones. Try not to measure success by whether your parent seems “rational” or “themselves.”
Success can look like keeping them safe, offering kindness or just being present even when the conversation makes no sense. 

6. Connect with support groups:

 Isolation increases caregiver stress. Join a support group online or in person where you can talk openly.

 7. Use practical help for elderly care:

You don’t have to do every task yourself. Consider:

• A part time nurse or attendant
• Meal delivery services
• Medication reminders via mobile apps
• Respite care for short breaks because resilience isn’t just emotional, it’s also about smart delegation.

Your parents’ conditions may be chronic and complex. But your physical, emotional, mental is equally important. You can’t pour from an empty cup. Every time you choose to care for yourself, even in small ways, you strengthen your ability to show up for them. Whether you’re navigating unpredictable days with dementia or the challenging symptoms of schizophrenia or any other chronic mental health conditions, remember you are not alone. At Samvedna Care, we are here to support you not just as a caregiver but as a human being with needs, fears and the right to feel okay again. Our trained therapists at Samvedna Care offer mental health online counselling tailored for primary caregivers and anyone feeling overwhelmed.