What happens when the person who gives the most has nothing
left to give?
At just 24, long before Eric Lim felt ready, his father
developed dementia after a series of strokes, and with astonishing honesty, he
recounts the heart-wrenching reversal of roles, caring for the parent who once
cared for him, and explores love, loss and resilience.
Across an ageing Asia, a silent crisis unfolds: behind every
elderly person who can no longer care for themselves stands a caregiver. This
book is for the ones who hold everyone together while no one holds them, who
answer every need but their own, and have forgotten themselves.
Nurturing the Nurturer is your invitation to look
within. It uncovers the quiet forces that keep caregivers giving beyond their
limits: filial duty, the fear of losing face, the guilt that follows even the
smallest moment of rest. And it offers another way.
Drawing on mindfulness and restorative slumber, Eric offers
a science-based approach to the roots of sleep deprivation, with tools and
practices to lead you out of the maze and into the rest you need and deserve.
But this book goes beyond sleep. It is about reclaiming your
life, peace of mind and ability to thrive in the toughest of times. It is a
homage to the enduring tenacity of the human spirit and those who care for
loved ones.
Above all, it is a meditation on a timeless truth: to care
for a loved one, you must first care for yourself.
About the Author
Eric Lim is a leading sleep advocate and mindfulness
teacher based in Singapore. Over the past decade, he has guided more than
10,000 people, from young people to working professionals and business leaders,
in cultivating rest, resilience, and a more mindful way of living.
His interest in mindfulness began at university, but his
journey as a caregiver for his late father, who suffered three strokes and
developed vascular dementia, gave it deeper meaning. Navigating long nights,
emotional exhaustion, and the grief of caregiving, he discovered the power of
presence and the importance of rest.
Born and raised in Singapore, he honours the deep-rooted
values of family and duty that shaped him. Yet he challenges the silence around
caregiver burnout, sleep deprivation, and mental fatigue, issues often
overlooked in Asian society.
A certified Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR)
teacher, Eric was the second person in Singapore to be certified by the
Mindfulness Center at Brown University School of Public Health. His approach
draws on both formal training and lived experience. In 2017, while working at a
mental health charity, he received the Ministry of Health’s SHMDP-ILTC (Social
& Health Manpower Development Programme—Intermediate and Long Term Care) Fellowship and was a recipient of the AWWA (Asian Women’s
Welfare Association) Young Model Caregiver (Merit) Award. His work has been
featured in national media, including Channel NewsAsia, The Straits
Times, The Business Times, and national radio.
As co-founder of Somnus Sleep Wellness, he advocates for
sustainable, restorative sleep and well-being across Asia. His quiet belief:
the one who nurtures also deserves to be nurtured.
