General
How to Prevent Caregiver Burnout
Whether it’s your spouse or one or both of your parents at some point you could find yourself in the role of caregiver. Initially you immerse yourself in performing the duties it requires and wind up neglecting your own well being. Should a long term care home be needed burnout is a very real possibility.
Typical signs of burnout might be drinking or smoking too much, it may even be tempting to pop pills to manage daily stress. For some caregivers overeating and putting on weight are a way to cope with giving too much of themselves. There following are some techniques to help prevent caregiver burnout.
1) Healthy lifestyle. Everyone knows that exercise is a great way to relieve stress and it bears repeating. A brisk walk or some form of exercise improves your mood, additionally eating healthy and getting lots of sleep is advisable.
2) Socialize. Spending time with groups of people who know how to play and laugh it’s a good antidote to rising depression.
3) Find someone to talk to. Instead of keeping you feelings locked inside share it with someone. A person close to you works or there are many support groups filled with others who understand your experience.
4) Calm your mind. Negative thoughts filling your mind often multiply and add to your stress. Try breathing techniques to cope or call on a calm memory from the past and focus on that instead. Meditation and yoga are great as stress relief, meditation in particular is easy to learn and provides instant gratification.
5) Build yourself another passion. Maintain balance in your life by finding or revisiting something your were passionate about. Fulfilling a personal interest will greatly benefit caregiver with time away from their role as caregiver.
6) Me first. Remember you aren’t any good to anyone if you’re not good to yourself. Taking time to regroup is better than being overactive when taking care of someone else, now more than ever you should be a little selfish.
Thanks to Clover Point Care for these helpful tips.