Alice started taking care of her grandmother 10 months ago after she fell ill. At first, it did not seem too hectic, even though she was juggling work and an online course. But over time, the care her grandmother needed became more intensive. She has had to put her online course on hold and has transitioned to remote working. Alice feels like she’s working 24/7 with no breaks. She’s struggling to sleep well, exercise, and take basic care of herself. She feels totally exhausted and is beginning to feel unconcerned about her grandmother’s well-being.
A caregiver provides help to a person with whom they have a personal relationship, such as a family member or friend. They help with bathing, meals, giving medication, and even medical tasks such as setting up feeding tubes. Caregiving can be an intimate event, but it can also be very time-consuming and present challenges that are mentally, emotionally, and physically draining.
| Caregiver burnout is the state of complete physical, mental, and emotional exhaustion, which is often accompanied by attitude changes such as apathy and hopelessness. Caregivers experiencing burnout, may fell depressed, anxious, irritable, overwhelmed, and may neglect their own health and well-being. |
To cope with the mental and emotional stress that caregiving exerts on the caregiver, you should take steps to boost your mental strength.
Here are some tips to try:
Acknowledge your efforts
Caregiving can sometimes be a thankless job. It can appear easy to others, so they overlook your effort, or it may be considered your responsibility. Basically, you are working around the clock without any external validation or praise, and this can affect your motivation to do more. Counter this by applauding your efforts. Keep it in mind that you are doing a tough job and doing it well! Additionally, find ways to reward yourself.
Ask for help
Caregiving is a serious responsibility and doing it alone without help or breaks can result in burnout. You can start by talking to other family members about the things you need help with. This could be running errands, pitching in to pay for external care services, or showing up to help for part of the day, so you can take a break. Look for other ways to improve the situation, such as respite care or employing nurses to provide in-home services. You could also see a mental health professional to help you work through your emotions and develop healthy coping strategies.
Take care of your health
To care for someone else, you must be healthy. Research has shown that mental and physical health are intertwined. If your body aches, you feel tired all the time, and you are always falling ill because of stress, you are unlikely to feel happy, capable of handling challenges, and positive about life. Make sure to schedule regular doctor visits to ensure you are in top form. Exercise regularly to fight fatigue, boost your energy, lift your mood, and relieve stress. Eat three meals a day and try to ensure that you are getting a balanced diet. Set aside time for self-care. Use your time to do something just for you: get your hair done, have a full body scrub, sit out in the sun, or go on a walk. Finally, make sure to get as much sleep as possible. Taking care of yourself is a necessity, not a luxury.
Conclusion
Caregiver burnout is real. It’s important that caregivers recognize the signs of burnout and take steps to counteract it quickly. It’s even better to be proactive in preventing it. If you know a caregiver, please take steps to look out for them, as they may not recognize when they are burned out.
