Life can feel like it’s getting away from you so easily you wonder how you are going to go on. Maybe you never thought you would be a caregiver for your elderly father, mother, grandparent, your spouse, or even a sibling. Yet here you are, struggling to get through each day.
The stress and strain of life as a caregiver can feel overwhelming. Unfortunately, some people have developed a habit of pushing aside the stress and strain of life.
They put on a good front, smile when they don’t feel like it, and tell friends and family everything’s fine when it’s not. This may seem practical or like you are doing a noble thing, but it’s actually going to make things tougher, not just for you, but other people in your life.
Stress makes itself known in other aspects of your life.
You may think you have everything under control as a family caregiver, but the stress is impacting other areas of your life, even if you don’t realize it.
Some people may have developed a habit of getting to work 15 minutes early so they are prepared to get started for the day. Maybe that was you, but for the last few months, you are getting there on time or even a few minutes late.
Your boss isn’t saying anything, but they notice. So do your coworkers.
Or perhaps you are snapping at your spouse, your elderly mother who depends on you, or people at the store. That’s not your typical behavior, and you brush it off as you get back in the car to drive home.
You try not to think about those things. But the reality is simple: this caregiver stress is affecting you and it’s affecting people around you.
There is a solution.
You don’t have to stop being a caregiver. But, you should recognize your own limitations as one. This is probably not something you ever planned on doing, but there it is.
Home care is one of the best assets that can help you get through these difficult times. When you hire somebody, even part-time to support this aging senior in your life, that will give you time to focus on what still important to you.
If you continue down this road, losing sleep, being stressed, it's going to affect you. It’ll affect your health, your attitude, and that will lead to impacting the people around you. Don’t push aside the stress and strain of life as a caregiver.
Turn to home care for support.
