Caregiving is an artful balance of providing for someone you care for deeply and making sure your own needs aren’t being neglected. It’s essential to determine your own limitations and care for yourself as well as others.
Caregiver Burnout
It’s important to make sure you’re aware of the signs of caregiver burnout. And if close friends and colleagues start to comment about noticing your decreased energy or mood changes, it’s time to seriously consider if you’re heading toward caregiver burnout.
What are the signs of caregiver burnout?
• A sense of ongoing and constant fatigue
• Decreasing interest in work
• Decrease in work production
• Withdrawal from social contacts
• Increase in use of stimulants and alcohol.
• Increasing fear of death
• Change in eating patterns
• Feelings of helplessness
If you exhibit these signs of caregiver burnout, it’s time for you to take charge of your situation and make some changes.
For example:
• Participate in a caregiver support network
• Consult with professionals to explore caregiver burnout issues
• Attend a caregiver support group to receive feedback and coping strategies
• Vary the focus of caregiving responsibilities if possible (rotate responsibilities with family members)
• Exercise daily and maintain a healthy diet
• Establish "quiet time" for meditation
• Get a weekly massage
• Stay involved in hobbies
Caregiver burnout is real, and it’s completely understandable: caregiving can be filled with moments of extreme stress and anxiety. So taking steps to comfort and/or re-energize yourself is not only “all right” to do, it’s absolutely necessary. In some ways, taking care of yourself should be considered your first priority, because it’s critical to your ability to successfully take care of others.
Check out the group dedicated to caregiving issues here.
See Related Articles
For more information about caregiving, see Caregiver Basics and Resources: What You Need to Know.
Some caregivers can experience harmful side effects of overextending themselves, including depression. Learn more about this common occurance and how to handle it, in Caregiving and Depression: a Common Combination.
