What are your first thoughts when you wake up each morning? Are you looking forward to what your day holds, or would you like to crawl back under the covers and remain there? If you are feeling more dread than delight when you consider your caregiving responsibilities for the day, you’re not alone.
Distinctly different from depression, anxiety, and even burnout, caregiver dread is an exhausted, heavy feeling of responsibility. It is caused by feelings of overcommitment as well as the need to get away from obligations. While possible to push through and carry out necessary tasks in spite of these feelings, there are methods to overcome them instead – and restore the joy which comes from making life better for someone you love. For starters, try these techniques:
- Let go of the guilt. Meeting the caregiving needs of someone can feel unimpactful, mundane, and simply downright tough. It requires selflessness, which can feel burdening. Yet dreading the day-to-day tasks you are required to do by no means reflects the way you feel about your senior loved one. Acknowledge to yourself that your role isn’t easy, and that it’s okay to wish you could be doing something different.
- Intentionally seek out joy. The tiny pleasures each day holds may be dimmed because of the challenges. Make the effort every day to find five little things that make you smile. Keep a journal of every day’s finds and refer back to it at the conclusion of each week. Engage all your senses while you seek out the day’s joys: the smell of freshly brewing coffee; the beauty of the sunset; the sound of your cat purring; the invigorating feeling of a hot shower.
- Set boundaries. Designate time daily to devote to things that you enjoy apart from the senior in your care. Plan and look forward to this time when your care duties start to weigh you down. An established and reliable care partner is paramount to make sure nothing interferes with the important time of caring for yourself.
Remind yourself that the work you are doing in caring for a senior loved one is extremely important. Yet also remember that no one can do it all, and in order to provide the very best care for your loved one and for yourself, regular breaks from care tasks are essential.
Reach out to the experts at Amy’s Helping Hands at 519-915-4370 to schedule our trusted Windsor Ontario respite care services and release the stress of caregiving dread. We are here for as much or as little assistance as you need to help you enjoy quality time with a family member and also to rediscover joy in your own life as well.
