Taking Care Of The Caregiver

If you happen to be a family caregiver, there’s a high chance that you are spending most of your time taking care of someone else; and in the process, it is easy to neglect yourself. You are so busy anticipating and meeting the needs of the person that you are caring for that you may not realize that you are physically exhausted and emotionally drained. The reality is that if you are not healthy, you won’t even be capable of taking care of anyone else. You are the rock so you need to keep yourself strong. Let’s discuss how to take care of YOU:

Consider your Needs: Even though you are the caregiver, you still have basic human needs. If you are not devoting enough time towards your own self-care, it is going to impact you. This means making sure that you are eating properly and that you are getting enough sleep and exercise. When you are taking care of your body, you are in a much better position to look after everyone else.

Eat Healthy: A healthy diet is one of the best ways that you can take care of yourself. It will provide you with strength and will make you feel better while you look after everyone else. Make it a priority to plan and prepare healthy meals for yourself each day.

Acknowledge your Emotions: Watching your loved one become sick or unable to do things that they used to do with ease is heartbreaking. The last thing you want to do is add to their pain, but the emotions that you are experiencing are very real. It is important that you give yourself an outlet for these feelings. Talking to a friend, counsellor, or even writing in a journal are all effective ways to release these emotions.

Do Something for Yourself: We cannot and should not stop living our lives because we are taking care of someone else. Life goes on and even in difficult situations we still need to chase our dreams. Make sure that you take a little time out of each day to do something for yourself. Whether it be reflecting on your future goals or just reading an article that interests you, it will prevent you from losing yourself in this challenging situation.

Get Support: We can’t always do it all by ourselves, no matter how much we wish we could. Sometimes there is no getting around the fact that we need help. If you have been caring for your loved one and are finding that your support is not enough, call us. We can help you find a solution that works for your family.