Throughout the nation and the world, many people are acting as informal caregivers, looking after elderly parents, disabled partners or children, or other people.
In some cases, people don’t even actively view themselves as caregivers.
After all, helping out a family member can simply feel like you are giving someone a hand or even that it is your responsibility.
Realistically though, being a caregiver is hard work. It is a role that takes an immense mental and physical toll. To make matters worse, the tasks involved with being a caregiver often leave you with little time or energy to take care of your own needs.
As a caregiver, it is far too easy to constantly put the needs of the person that you are caring for first.
That’s particularly true if that person needs a lot of physical or emotional support.
In fact, caregivers often feel like they are being selfish if they want to take care of their own needs or simply take a break.
That isn’t true though.
One of the most important things that you can do as a caregiver is to pay attention to your own health and your own needs.
If you don’t take care of yourself, then your ability to care for anybody else is going to be dramatically compromised.
Caregiver Stress and Burnout
One very significant potential outcome of being a caregiver is caregiver stress.
This has a range of different definitions, but in general it is a condition that involves exhaustion, guilt or anger that arises as the result of caring for someone else.
It is a particularly significant issue for people who do not have any break in their caregiving efforts and do not have the chance to care for themselves.
Another potential outcome is caregiver burnout.
In some ways this is similar to caregiver stress, especially as it also involves a significant amount of exhaustion, which might be physical, mental or emotional. However, one key difference is that caregiver burnout also involves a change in attitude, where the person moves from being caring and positive towards being indifferent and negative,
Ultimately, if you end up experiencing significant caregiver stress or burnout, then you simply won’t be much good in caring for anyone.
This is why it is so important for caregivers to take a step back and look at what they are feeling and what they are doing to take care of themselves.
Caring for Yourself
However, as a caregiver there are steps that you can take to make things easier for yourself and to help you cope with your situation better.
Sometimes, these approaches may make you feel guilty, especially if it means that you have to take time off from caregiving to do them. However, you shouldn’t ever feel guilty about taking care of your own needs.
If you don’t, the long-term consequences will be much worse than the short-term ones.
The list below gives some key steps that you can take to help avoid caregiver stress and burnout. They might not all apply to your situation, and there may be some that I have missed that do apply. However, it is worth taking the effort to follow at least some of these approaches.
They can make a surprising different in your life.
Eat Healthy. It’s easy to skip out on healthy meals for yourself, especially when you feel like you don’t have the time. But, eating healthy can help your body stay strong and it is critical for your overall health.
See a Doctor Regularly. Likewise, it’s easy to miss checkups because of the time factor, but you shouldn’t. Talk to your doctor about any issues you experience, including issues connected to mental health. It’s also worth talking to your doctor about the fact that you are a caregiver and they may have access to some resources that can help you.
Join a Support Group. As the population ages, the number of people caring for others also increases. So, there are many other people out there that you can connect with. This offers you the chance to share your own problems and help others with theirs. This can be extremely cathartic and give you the chance to unload some of your burdens. At the same time, you will often learn valuable knowledge that directly applies to your own situation.
Exercise. Exercise is one of those things that people want to do but often skip out on. Exercise can be a fantastic way of relieving stress. If you don’t have much time, have a look at something like a half an hour walk or even a 15 minute walk. Anything that can get you up and moving will help, even if it’s just a little bit.
Have a Backup Plan. Regardless of your circumstances, you should not be the only possible caregiver. Work on establishing a network of friends, relatives and external resources. There are often people willing to help out for a few hours if you need to go to a doctor’s appointment or even out to dinner. Likewise, there will be people who may be able to help out if you need to go away for a few days just for a break. In addition to people in your own network, there is a range of professionals and programs out there to support caregivers.
Take Breaks and Be Kind to Yourself. Caregiving is hard and no matter how you feel about it, you are probably doing a fantastic job. Everybody is human and the stresses and worries that come with caregiving are all entirely normal. Taking breaks from time to time is a really important way of caring for yourself, even if sometimes that means nothing more than a few hours in front of the television or with a good book.
Get Enough Sleep. It’s easier said than done, but getting enough sleep is an important part of your own health. If you can’t get enough sleep at night for any reason, then you might want to consider napping a little bit every day, or setting aside nights where it is possible for you to sleep longer.
Find Ways to Treat Yourself. Sometimes the little things can be a good way of feeling better. That might be something like having a bubble bath, getting a manicure or watching a movie. Everyone is different, but look for things that make you feel good that aren’t hard to do. Another example is buying yourself something special, like a new pair of shoes or some clothing. Even though many of these approaches don’t take a lot of time, they really can help to lift your mood.
At the End of the Day
Caregiving can be a very isolating role and many of your friends and family probably don’t realize just how much of a challenge caregiving can be.
Regardless of how it feels, you are not alone.
There are many other people out there who act as caregivers and face the struggles and challenges involved in caregiving. Connecting with those people and with family and friends can be a good approach for giving you moral support and helping you to take care of your own needs.
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