How to combat “caregiver stress”
According to the Mayo Clinic, “More than 65 million Americans provide care to a loved one.” Caregivers are defined as “anyone who provides help to another person in need, whether that's an ill spouse or partner, a disabled child, or an aging relative.”
Sometimes caregivers provide full-time help while other times they might take a daily “shift” or help just on the weekends. Certainly full-time caregivers feel the most stress, but even those people who provide part-time help may find themselves overwhelmed by the demands of providing care to a close friend or relative.
What is caregiver stress?
No doubt, taking care of someone you love is rewarding and fulfilling, but at the same time it can be draining and exhausting, especially when one has responsibilities beyond caregiving such as a job, household tasks, a spouse or partner, young children or aging parents who also need care.
Maybe you want to do it all yourself, or perhaps you resent the fact that other family members have not stepped forward to help; either way, stress mounts and you begin to feel the full impact of the physical and emotional drain of having such a huge responsibility on your plate.
Symptoms of caregiver stress
Perhaps you’re nervous, tired, irritable and not eating right. These are all characteristics of caregivers who are overloaded and overwhelmed. If you aren’t taking care of yourself by living a healthy lifestyle and if you haven’t learned ways to cope with the added stress in your life, you may become ill and then won’t be able to help anyone either emotionally or physically.
The Mayo Clinic advises that caregivers watch for the following signs of stress:
- Feeling tired most of the time
- Feeling overwhelmed and irritable
- Sleeping too much or too little
- Gaining or losing a lot of weight
- Losing interest in activities you used to enjoy
How to handle caregiver stress
Thee Mayo Clinic website has a comprehensive list of tips on how to handle caregiver stress. Although most of these tips are common sense, it’s important to review what has proved successful for other people in dealing with the stress and exhaustion that comes from the responsibilities of caregiving:
- Accept help. Not only accept but seek help from friends and family members. Make a list of what chores need to be done and let people know how they can help you perform the duties of caregiver. Be flexible: Not everyone will care for a loved one exactly like you, but usually differences are minor and inconsequential.
- Don't get the “guilts.” There will be days when you feel you’ve been irritable or less than patient while performing the duties of caregiver. “Feeling guilty is normal, but understand that no one is a ‘perfect’ caregiver,” states the Mayo Clinic. They also suggest one never feel guilty about asking for help.
- Join a support group. You will learn a lot about the ramifications of caregiving by meeting with other caregivers and sharing advice and concerns. Not only will you get encouragement and support from other caregivers, but you will learn about new resources for help and even make some friends at the same time.
- Maintain as much normalcy as possible. Don’t stay housebound while caring for a loved one. Find times and ways when you can get out of the caregiving role to shop, have lunch out or see a movie. “Make an effort to stay in touch with family and friends. Set aside time each week for socializing, even if it's just a walk with a friend,” says the Mayo Clinic.
- Commit to staying healthy. Exercise, eat right, get a good night’s sleep and watch yourself for signs and symptoms of caretaker burnout.
- See your doctor. Let your doctor know that you have taken on the role of caregiver. Get the recommended immunizations and screenings that your doctor feels are necessary and seek his or her advice on how to deal with the fatigue, stress and anxiety that may occur when one is responsible for the physical health and well-being of another person.
