Caregiving stress can be reduced with these tips.
Stress and caregiving often go hand in hand. Devoting your life to meeting the needs of a senior loved one can be challenging, especially when a chronic health condition is at play, leaving family members with less time to meet their own needs and for enjoyable and relaxing activities. However, it’s vitally important for family caregivers to be sure to carve out regular, ongoing time to relax and recharge, and to make their own self-care a priority.
At Absolute Companion Care, providers of the top senior care Towson, MD area families trust, we want to ensure that family members remain healthy as well as the seniors for whom they’re providing care. These tips can help replace stress with serenity, and restore a healthy life balance for family caregivers:
- Take a deep breath. Deep, controlled breathing, as simple as it seems, is a wonderful way to very quickly calm anxiety and stress. Sit in a relaxed position, breathe in through your nose for a count of five, and then breathe out through your nose for a count of five. Repeat several times, and increase the length of time you breathe in and out, up to a count of 10.
- Count your blessings. It’s easy to focus on the difficulties at hand and lose sight of the many positives that make up each of our lives. Making a conscious effort to take a mental inventory of things you’re grateful for can help tremendously with changing your mindset, regardless of how small the positives may seem: a sunbeam shining through the kitchen window, a warm cup of tea, a smile on your loved one’s face.
- Build yourself up. Replacing negative thoughts with positive ones also applies to our internal dialogue about ourselves. Rather than berating yourself internally over losing your patience or a mistake you’ve made, remind yourself that you’re doing the best you can and are working hard to make life the best it can be for your senior loved one.
- Stay active. Physical exercise releases endorphins to naturally boost your mood and sense of wellbeing. While it can be hard to set aside time for a good workout, it’s beneficial to break an exercise routine into smaller chunks and still reap the rewards. For example, park the car farther from the store when running errands, make a point to always take the stairs instead of the elevator, and pedal on a stationary bike while chatting with your senior loved one.
- Find a care partner. Most importantly, understand that no one can manage caregiving tasks all alone. Partnering with a trusted in-home care provider, like Absolute Companion Care, allows family caregivers time away to rest and recharge, while knowing their senior loved one is receiving high quality care.
Are you ready to enjoy a life of reduced stress and enhanced peace of mind? Contact Absolute Companion Care, providers of the top-rated senior care Towson, MD and the surrounding areas need, for more tips and resources for reducing caregiving stress and for a partner in care to walk beside you every step of the way with professional in-home care services for seniors!