Family caregiver stress is inevitable when providing care for loved ones, but in fact, not necessarily a bad thing. After all, as the saying goes, “A diamond is just a piece of charcoal that handled stress exceptionally well.” But particularly for family caregivers, the level of stress can quickly increase and become extreme, and if not managed efficiently, trigger significant health problems.
Give these ideas a try to decrease stress and realize a healthier and more relaxed lifestyle – for both yourself and those you love:
- Improve your self-talk. During the course of your day, you may find yourself thinking negative thoughts such as, “I just can’t do this!” or “Everything is going wrong!” Pause for a moment when negative thinking begins to invade your mind, and say to yourself instead, “I can handle this, one step at a time,” or “Assistance is here for me whenever I require it.”
- Take a break. Minimize stress by using any or all of these strategies:
- Practice deep breathing (inhale while counting to four; hold while counting to four; exhale while counting to four; hold for a count of four; repeat as needed)
- Go for a walk or take part in another type of physical activity
- Pray or meditate
- Play favorite music
- Write in a journal
- Reach out to a friend
- Engage in a stress-reducing activity. There are many different enjoyable activities that can take your focus away from whatever was generating stress and onto something more positive, such as arts and crafts, reading a book, spending time with pets or children, gardening, a DIY project – even as little as 10 or 15 minutes spent on the activity can be helpful.
There are even apps specifically created with family caregivers in mind to help lower stress and restore a sense of calm. Find a few that are especially helpful here from DailyCaring.
Family caregiver stress is especially prevalent for those who believe they have no support system, and are required to take care of everything independently. Thankfully, we have a solution! Call Compassionate Care Home Health Services, the experts in home care in Cadillac and the surrounding area, for a free in-home consultation to learn how we can partner with you in your caregiving duties, allowing you essential time away to destress, with services such as:
- Meal planning and preparation
- Help with personal care
- Housekeeping and laundry
- Errand-running, such as grocery shopping and picking up prescriptions
- Transportation to medical appointments and enjoyable outings
- Companionship to make each day more enjoyable with stimulating conversations, games, puzzles, hobbies, etc.
- Medication reminders
- And many more
Contact us at 877.308.1212 and find out how a partner in care can make all the difference in decreasing stress and restoring a healthy life balance for family caregivers.