As a caregiver to an older or disabled loved one, stress and anxiety is just part of the deal sometimes. In addition to the stress coming from your household, you likely have to deal with the pressures of your work, relationships, Atlanta traffic, and now, a global pandemic.
It can be rough, but there are a few things you can do to help ease some of your caregiver stress and anxiety. As an Atlanta home care agency, we are experts on helping you care for your loved ones in a way that helps you maintain your sense of calm and balance. Here are our best tips for relieving caregiver stress and anxiety:
Establish and Keep Daily Routines
You may not want to hear this, but your role as a caregiver means that your life will be fundamentally ruled by schedules. Keeping a schedule for yourself and your loved one’s care will help you manage everyone’s expectations and reduce your stress on a day-to-day basis. Even if your loved one is immobile or nonverbal, they can benefit from the regular rhythm that a daily schedule brings. This will reduce their own anxiety and help reduce unwanted behaviors or meltdowns and help you carve out much needed personal time for yourself. If your loved one is mobile and has good eyesight, keeping a large family calendar somewhere in the home can help them feel independently aware of the daily schedule.
Carve Out Personal Time
As a caregiver, taking personal time is non-negotiable. Even if it’s just 15 or 30 minutes a at the beginning or end of every day, having a time that is just yours will do wonders for your capacity to be patient and calm.
Identify a self care activity you enjoy and make some time for it in the mornings or evenings. Baths, meditation, a fancy skincare routine, reading, enjoying a favorite show, or even spending time on a puzzle app on your smartphone can all help you disconnect from your responsibilities and relax.
Slow Down
As caregivers, we often rush through an entire day unnecessarily. This week, we challenge you to slow down. Complete one task at a time and take your time to do so. For example, if you find that you and your loved one are running late for an appointment, take a deep breath, relax and call the office to see if you can reschedule.
Keep a Caregiving Journal
Caregiver stress and anxiety can also come from feelings of isolation and bottled up emotions.
Keeping a journal where you can be honest about your feelings can be helpful. When keeping the journal, don’t add any stress about when you have to write in it or how often. Just keep it handy and write in it when you need to. Don’t forget to write in your journal when you have good days just as much as you write about bad ones.
Get Support
Caregiving is not something anyone should do alone. One helpful means of caregiver support is online groups like our caregiver Facebook group, Caregiver Connection. It’s a place to foster community, encouragement and support among caregivers. In-home care is another great option to help lighten your caregiving load. You can hire a caregiver to come help just a few hours a week to give yourself some personal time or to handle errands, or you can hire someone to come on a daily basis.
About Prescott HealthCare, LLC
Prescott HealthCare is a family owned and operated private home care provider dedicated to giving Atlanta area families safe, personalized care right in the comfort of home.
Our certified aides help people with daily activities like:
| Dressing and grooming | Bathing and hygiene |
| Incontinence care | Medication reminders |
| Meal preparation and serving | Companionship |
| Errands | Escorting to appointments |
If you are interested in learning more about how we can help you at home, contact us anytime at: 404-883-3302 or right here online.
