Stress is a common part of caring for a senior loved one, but these steps can help relieve family caregiver stress and create a calmer lifestyle for all involved.
Family caregiver stress is unavoidable, and in reality, not always a bad thing. Basically, as they say, “A diamond is just a piece of charcoal that handled stress exceptionally well.” But particularly for family caregivers, the level of stress can quickly intensify and become overwhelming, and if not handled properly, bring on serious health concerns.
Try these suggestions to minimize family caregiver stress and attain a healthier and calmer lifestyle – both for yourself and your loved ones:
- Modify your self-talk. Through the course of your day, you may find yourself having thoughts like, “I cannot do this!” or “Everything is going wrong!” Pause for a moment when negative thinking begins to fill your mind, and say to yourself instead, “I can handle this, one step at a time,” or, “Help is available to me whenever I need it.”
- Take a break. Reduce stress by using any or all of the following techniques:
- Practice deep breathing (inhale to a count of 4; hold for a count of 4; exhale while counting to 4; hold for a count of 4; repeat as needed)
- Go for a walk or participate in another type of physical exercise
- 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 distract your attention away from whatever was leading to stress and onto something more positive, like arts and crafts, reading, spending time with pets or children, gardening, a home improvement project – even as little as 10 or 15 minutes spent on the activity can improve your outlook.
There are also apps primarily developed with family caregivers in mind to help minimize stress and restore peace. Find several that are particularly helpful here from DailyCaring.
Family caregiver stress is especially common for those who feel as though they have no support system, and are required to handle everything independently. Thankfully, we have a solution! Contact Advanced Home Health Care, the experts in senior care in Burlington and the surrounding areas, for a complimentary in-home consultation to find out more about how we can share in your caregiving obligations, allowing you the necessary time away to destress, through services including:
- Planning/preparing healthy meals
- Assistance with personal care and hygiene
- Light housekeeping and laundry
- Running errands, like grocery shopping and picking up prescriptions
- Transportation to doctors’ appointments and enjoyable outings
- Companionship to brighten each day with engaging conversations, games, puzzles, hobbies, etc.
- Medication reminders
- And many more
Contact us online or call 319.753.6270 and find out more about our senior care in Fort Madison and the surrounding areas and how a partner in care can make all the difference in reducing stress and restoring a healthy life balance for family caregivers. To learn more about the full area we serve, please visit our Service Area page.
