4 Self Care Tips For Caregivers Who Are Heading For Burnout From Stress
Forgetting to take care of yourself as a caregiver is a common problem.
unsplash If you're a caregiver, then you know how easy it is to forget about self care when you're exhausted at the end of a day. When you spend your life caring for others, self care ideas can seem like a far-off dream.
But "caregiver burnout," also known as "caregiver stress" is a very real problem that occurs for people in caregiving jobs or home situations.
Self-care is an incredibly important part of everyone's life, but often times, those in caregiving roles forget to practice it almost entirely, leading to feeling exhausted, dried up, or resentful.
Maybe you work in a hospital, clinic, rehab center or other care facilities for sick or elderly people. Or your passion in life is being a parent and caring for your children.
Perhaps you're there for someone in your immediate family who's in need of your care.
Whatever your circumstances, you're committed to helping others. But if after you do, you feel too empty to take care of yourself, then you may be suffering from caregiver burnout and need to learn to practice self care to get yourself back together.
If you breeze through each day feeling energized by what you do, taking time to take care of yourself from the inside out, eating well, exercising and getting enough sleep, then you're not under caregiver stress. However, signs of burnout may mean that you struggle to accomplish any of these essentials as you care for others, so you may need self care more than you realize.
You probably already know what you need in order to take care of yourself. And whatever way you choose to do that is your own personal choice.
The real issue here is: How do you find the time and energy to care for yourself as you care for others? How do you tap into creating that “overflow?"
Through years of caring for my parents, my spouse, and others in hospitals as a nurse, I have discovered four easy steps that have made all the difference in my ability to feel energized by what I do as a caregiver.
There are ways to help you take better care of yourself from the inside out.
Here are 4 easy self care tips you can practice as a caregiver to support yourself, help with exhaustion, and avoid caregiver burnout.
1. Learn to say “No”
Get in touch with your own truth, listen to your heart and trust your intuition.
When choosing to do anything, if it feels like a little bit of a “No” then just say it!
Set healthy boundaries as a part of self care and respect them. You know what you're comfortable with and capable of.
2. Have more fun
Laugh more at yourself! Look for more of the fun in a given situation.
Be easy with yourself, and understand that you're doing your best.
When you're having fun, you're opening yourself to more positive outcomes.
Plus, one of the best ways to feel better when you're overwhelmed is to find the joy in what you can.
3. Ask for help
You aren’t alone.
As a caregiver, you're used to helping others; asking for help can become difficult.
But there are people all around you who are more than willing to help you.
Asking for their help gives them permission to support you when you need it, and lets you practice self care by easing those burdens from your shoulders.
4. Search for what uplifts and energizes you
Looking at uplifting photos and quotes online can help you feel more energized and connected to your inner self. This step can help you focus on creating more ways to feel better.
Find what uplifts and energizes you to care for yourself.
Self care comes in many forms, and creating positive thoughts about being a caregiver will help you begin to take better actions. In the long run, that will benefit you and those you are caring for.
Following these steps on a daily basis will help you find more time and energy to care for yourself. As a caregiver, don't get overwhelmed and forget self care. Practice it a little bit each day so you never feel burned out or stressed out by your role again.
Nada Howarth is an internationally recognized master certified law of attraction life coach. She is also the founder and CEO of Nada’s Essentials Life Coaching, Caregiver’s Oasis, and Essential Connections.