Experiencing family caregiver stress is an unavoidable part of the caregiver experience, but it doesn’t necessarily always have to be a bad thing. As they say, “A diamond is just a piece of charcoal that handled stress exceptionally well.” However, for family caregivers, stress levels can easily become overwhelming, and if not dealt with correctly, they can lead to significant health problems.
However, there are ways to manage family caregiver stress. Give these ideas a try to minimize stress and achieve a healthier and more peaceful way of living – both for yourself and the ones you love:
- Take a break. Deescalate stress through any or all of the following strategies:
- Take a walk or participate in another type of exercise
- Pray or meditate
- Breathe deeply (inhale while counting to 4; hold while counting to 4; exhale while counting to 4; hold for a count of 4; repeat as needed)
- Write in a journal
- Reach out to a friend
- Play calming music
- Improve your self-talk. Through the course of each day, you might find yourself entertaining thoughts like, “I just can’t do this!” or, “Every single thing is going wrong!” Stop for a moment when negative feelings begin to intrude, and say to yourself instead, “I can manage this, one step at a time,” or, “Support is available to me whenever I want it.”
- Try a stress-busting activity. There are countless enjoyable activities that can deflect your focus away from whatever was causing stress and onto something more positive, like creating art, reading, playing with pets or children, gardening, a DIY project – even as little as 10 or 15 minutes spent on the activity can make a big difference in how you feel.
Also, there are apps developed with family caregivers in mind to help lower stress and restore peace. You can find five that are particularly helpful here from DailyCaring.
Family caregiver stress is especially common in caregivers who feel like they have no support to lean on. Thankfully, we can help! Call Heaven at Home Senior Care, top provider of in-home care in Denton and the surrounding area, for a complimentary in-home assessment to learn how we can partner with you in your caregiving duties, allowing you the necessary time away to destress, with services like:
- Assistance with personal care and hygiene
- Light housekeeping and laundry
- Meal planning and preparation
- Transportation to doctors’ appointments and enjoyable outings
- Companionship to brighten each day with stimulating conversations, games, puzzles, hobbies, etc.
- Errand-running, including grocery shopping and picking up prescriptions
- Medication reminders
- And many more
Contact us online or at (940) 380-0500 and learn how a partner in care can make a world of difference in decreasing stress and restoring a healthy life balance for family caregivers.