Stress and life as a caregiver tend to go hand in hand. But you really can reduce your stress levels without neglecting your senior in the process.
What’s Contributing Most to Your Stress?
Stress is part of life as a human. Daily stress is something that follows you around from one part of your day to another. So, if you had to make a list, what would top your stress list? Caregiving probably is near the top of the list and some aspects of your job or your home life might make the list. Write out everything that makes you feel stressed, even if it seems small. You’ll need a full list to do the next step.
Steer Clear of Stressors that Are Optional
What on your list is optional? There’s a lot about life that you can’t just opt out of, but some things you might be able to do more about than you think. If a particular route to work causes you more stress than another one, then maybe that’s not the best way for you to get to work on a regular basis. If worrying about your senior is part of your stress load, that may not be optional for you. You can put safety measures in place for her, but the worry will probably stick around.
Plan Ahead to Help Reduce Stress
Planning can solve a great many stressful situations because you’re actively doing something before the stressor fully hits. Bills can be a huge stress for most people. Can you put them on autopay? If so, that might be the right answer. If there are tasks that are stressful for you, make a plan for delegating those tasks to someone else who finds them easier to manage.
Line up Your Support Network
You don’t have to be an island and believing that you have to do it all on your own can be a massive cause of stress for caregivers. Determine who is part of your support network. This might be friends, other family members, or other community members. Your support group might also include senior care providers. Whenever your stress levels are increasing, figure out who in your support network might be of most help in your current situation.
When you’re more conscious about avoiding the things that contribute negatively to your stress levels, you can start to make some progress. Being a caregiver is stressful enough, you don’t have to be working against yourself.