Caregiver Stress and Burnout: Signs and Prevention
One of the most common problems caregivers face is burnout. This burnout can easily lead to more serious problems, such as anxiety and depression. Yes, apart from being physically stressful, it causes more damage to the emotional state of mind. However, this does not mean that it is all someone gets out of being a caregiver. In fact, being a caregiver can be the most fulfilling job there is. There are a lot of reasons why caregiving can be fun. As long as one gets to find the drill out of it, and has the right mindset, they are good to go. If you are a caregiver or if you are someone, deciding to become one, you should know the proper procedures to do to avoid this.
Being a caregiver means that one has to juggle everything at the same time. A book by Eleanor Gaccetta called One Caregiver’s Journey will give you a glimpse of what the world of family caregiving looks like. The author shares her experiences in providing 24/7 care for her mother in her own home for more than 9 years. This will make readers realize how amazing the works of a caregiver are. Reading this will make you realize that caregivers deserve your gratitude.
With the pandemic going on, everybody from across the world has been affected by it emotionally. You do not want your work to also contrive your mind. During these times, you want to be the best version of yourself by being as healthy as much as possible, emotionally, and physically. That is why you need to know when you are getting signs of depression and anxiety because of your job. This article will tackle the signs and prevention of caregiver burnout. See the following points below to know:
Constant Feeling of Fearfulness
Fear can be one of the most powerful emotions. It can not only affect your body but also your mind. It can be useful sometimes as it sends signals of response during dangers and emergencies, which can be very helpful for you as a caregiver. You will be able to detect when something is wrong with the patient. However, when you are constantly feeling scared and nervous and that it lasts for a long time, this might not be a good sign. You might have been letting the pressure of your work get to your mental wellness. There are many ways on how you can fight this. One efficient way is to breathe through your fear. When you start feeling that your heart is beating faster than usual, the best thing to do is to breathe. You can check out breathing techniques on the internet and try to follow them.
Inability of Sleep
Sleep is known to be one of the most important factors to achieve overall health and well-being. It is a means for the body to repair and prepares it for the next day. Now, if you have not been able to sleep lately, even though you have the time, there might be a problem. You might have let caregiving take up your whole life. There are many reasons and explanations as to why you’ve been experiencing this. But, one major reason is that you might have been overthinking. Overthinking usually comes up during your free hours. You will be worried about so many things, whether you gave the exact medicine to the patient or you have completed their routine. If you start to feel that way, you must know that you are only stressing out over nothing. You need to react and respond to the problems appropriately.
Feeling Irritated Easily
Have you been feeling annoyed over little thing lately? If that’s the case, you might want to steer away from working. You must be exhausted. It might feel like you have the energy to do your job, but in reality, you are mentally tired. Step back and take a break. Go on adventures with your loved ones or go pamper yourself. Everyone needs a little break from work. Don’t let your life revolve around caregiving.. It might give you satisfaction when you do well but you still need to go find some other things to do.
To conclude, caregiving is one of the most satisfying things to do but it can drain you when you do not have the right mindset towards it. Having the right mindset means that you don’t let it take over your life. Give time for yourself, maintain personal relationships, or find some other things to do.
I do agree and it seems that all stated above are true. Deal with your body. It’s the solitary spot you need to live in.
Absolutely. A good caregiver needs to care for their body, mind and spirit.
It is always sad to hear that people lack practical #intrapersonalskills to spot the warning signs and are therefore not able to reduce their inner reactivity. Burnout is 100% preventable, but prevention needs to start from stress reduction. This blog post opens up the solution: https://www.wellnessorbit.com/newsletters/new-ways-to-deal-with-stress/id/49/
Stress from living in a pandemic coupled with the challenges of caregiving make for a dangerous time. Many people are too preoccupied to spot the warning signs. You are right.
Great article – My mum has onset of dementia. We, her grown children have been blessed with her many years of physical health, strength, spunk and humor. Recently, mum had emergency surgery for a small intestinal ischemia and nearly died. The surgeon removed 2 feet of small intestine and explained that an artery blocked blood flow to that section of small intestine. My mum is slowly making recovery, but now her dementia is more noticeable. We were fortunate to have a wonderful surgeon who referred us to a small group of caregivers experienced with 24/7 care of elders. As grown children we wanted to care for our mum, but it was extremely difficult balance between work, family obligations and medically beyond our expertise. We tried to do wound care, feeding, cleaning, but mum developed a wound infection. Then 24/7 caregiver stepped in and organized proper care and now mum is thriving. It was both parents who smartly financially planned for their later years of life. Which is something all of us should think about .
I am glad your mom is thriving and that your parents planned for these situations. You and your siblings are right to provide support and have proper care. Good luck.