Caregiver Coping

Resources for caregivers

The term “caregiver” refers to anyone who helps another person in need. They are often a spouse, partner, friend, child, or relative. Despite fitting this description, many individuals may not truly think of themselves as caregivers. Therefore, it sometimes can become overwhelming or confusing when they begin experiencing stress and/or hostility toward the person they are helping. Acknowledging the common side effects that accompany caregiving can aid in understanding and managing these emotions.

Providing care / relieving stress

While caregiving can be rewarding, there will almost certainly be unexpected stress that comes along with the role. Caregivers commonly experience anger, exhaustion, sadness, jealousy, and loneliness. These emotions can all be attributed to some form of caregiver stress. Here are a few of the risk factors that make it even more common to experience caregiver stress:

• Living with the person you are helping care for
• Financial difficulties
• Pre-existing feelings of depression
• Social isolation

In addition, the more hours that you spend caregiving, the higher the risk of experiencing caregiver stress. To compound the issue, people who did not have a choice as to whether they wanted to provide care or not are also at a higher risk of experiencing caregiver stress.

Signs and symptoms of caregiver stress

Be on the lookout for the following signs of caregiver stress, as they can often sneak up on you:

• No longer interested in things you used to enjoy.
• Upticks in alcohol or drug consumption (including prescription medications)
• Feelings of being worried or overwhelmed all of the time.
• Unusually tired throughout the day
• Weight fluctuations
• Easily agitated or angry

Coping with caregiver stress

The good news is that experts are available to help cope with caregiver stress. The best thing to do is to schedule an appointment with one of our trained professionals so we can connect you with the appropriate resources. We offer proven techniques for lessening stress while ensuring that your loved one is fully cared for.

In addition to the many ways we can help relieve caregiver stress, here are a few tips you can start with today that are very easy to do when you have a few moments to yourself:

• Allow yourself to ask for help.
• Try deep breathing techniques.
• Light exercise such as walking around the block may help.
• Watch an enjoyable movie.
• Brew a cup of tea.
• Try keeping a journal of your thoughts.

While these techniques alone will not take away your caregiver burden, they will help you take time for self-care and relaxation. Do not be ashamed to ask for help and if you do not know how, we are here to support you.