Are You Letting Stress Run Your Caregiving Journey?
Family caregivers tend to experience a great deal of stress. If you’re not careful, you’re letting your stress levels run the entire caregiving show instead of being in charge yourself.
Homecare in Hyde Park OH: Caregiver Stress
You Don’t Have to Abandon it All
One of the first fears you might have is that you’re about to have to figure out who else can take care of your elderly family member. But you don’t have to give up being a caregiver. What you need to do is to make smaller changes. Big changes aren’t always what you should seek out first.
Change How You Talk to Yourself
Most caregivers are really rough on themselves. You probably are, too. Take a look at how you talk to yourself. If you’re telling yourself what you should be doing, that’s placing unnecessary pressure on yourself. Try talking to yourself as you would your best friend. It’s a small change that can yield big results.
Change How You Prioritize Yourself
Another problem that you probably face as a caregiver is that everyone in your life is a higher priority on your list. There’s your aging adult, there are other responsibilities, and then you might have time or energy to do things for yourself. If you reorder your priorities to place yourself higher on the list, you’ll find that you’re in a better spot to be able to handle those other responsibilities.
Take Breaks
You can’t keep going all the time as a caregiver and expect to stay okay. You need to take time away, both during each day and for longer periods of time, such as an entire afternoon. If your elderly family member needs constant care, then it might be time to enlist the help of other family members or elder care providers who can take over while you’re away. Breaks are not negotiable.
Get Help When You Need It
Many caregivers get upset when their senior family members refuse help. It’s just as harmful to you when you’re the one refusing to accept help. Learn to be graceful about accepting help and reaching out to ask for it when you’re in need. Start small and work your way up to accepting more and bigger forms of help.
If you’re still having trouble banishing stress, take a look at what is working for you and what isn’t. An easy answer is to add into your plan more of what is working and do less of what isn’t so helpful.
If you or an aging loved one is considering Home Care in Hyde Park, OH, please contact the caring staff at Queen City Elder Care today. Serving Cincinnati and Surrounding Communities. Call Us Today (513) 510-4410.
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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