Do You Use Emotional Overeating to Deal with Caregiver Stress?
Caregiver in Indian Hill OH: Do You Use Emotional Overeating to Deal with Caregiver Stress?
Approximately two million people throughout the United States deal with a condition known as emotional overeating. This is a condition characterized by using eating, particularly binge eating, as a means of coping with or suppressing emotions. As a family caregiver this can be a way to handle stress and deal with the emotions that can come with care efforts, but it can also put your own personal health and well-being at risk, and diminish the quality of care that you give your aging parent on a regular basis. Recognizing that you are using emotional overeating as a means of dealing with caregiver stress is the first step in helping you to face this issue, overcome it, and make better, healthier decisions moving forward.
Some signs that you might be dealing with emotional overeating to cope with your caregiver stress include:
- You recognize that you are compelled to eat more when you are dealing with stress.
- You frequently eat more even when you are already full or when you are not hungry.
- Eating is something that you often use as a means of rewarding yourself.
- You often restrict yourself to eating at certain times or after you have accomplished certain things, or only feel that you “deserve” to eat at specific points in your routine.
- There are certain foods that you eat only when you are alone.
- It is not uncommon for you to eat until you feel “stuffed” or painfully full.
- Food makes you feel safe or secure, or you do not feel comfortable unless you have access to food.
- You feel out of control if you are not near food or you do not have access to the foods that you enjoy the most.
- You frequently get up at night to snack or eat, and by the time that you are finished you have eaten far more than you intended.
If you have noticed that your caregiver efforts have become more than you are capable of handling on your own or you believe that your parent would benefit from more or more diversified care than they are currently receiving, now may be the ideal time for you to consider starting home care for them. A care provider is an exceptional addition to your care routine, providing a highly personalized set of services tailored to addressing your loved one’s individual needs, challenges, and limitations while also supporting a greater level of independence, activity, and engagement. This helps your parent live a quality of life that they desire and deserve. In your role as a family caregiver, this can help you to relieve stress, focus your energy and attention more efficiently on your parent as well as the other obligations and responsibilities in your life, and continue to take care of yourself in the proper way so that you can be happy, healthy, and the best quality caregiver for your aging loved one. When it comes to helping your parent cope with mental or emotional health concerns, or giving you the support and assistance needed to handle your own concerns, the customized support, schedule, and companionship of a care provider can ease stress, reduce anxiety, and help your parent to maintain a higher quality of life, as well as giving you the ability to focus on your own well-being.
If you or an aging loved one are considering caregiver services in Indian Hill, OH, please contact the caring staff at Queen City Elder Care today. Serving Cincinnati and Surrounding Communities. Call Us Today (513) 510-4410.
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Michele Vollmer is a visionary leader who is perpetually searching for ways to improve, so to remain at the leading edge of the home care industry.She has served in the healthcare industry since 1989, including pharmaceutical and home health sales, as well as hospice sales and sales management.
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