Preventing Caregiver Stress and Burnout

Yesterday I wrote about the warning signs and symptoms of caregiver stress and burnout.

In the post, I listed 5 ways that HelpGuide.org suggested as ways to deal with caregiver stress and burnout.  They are:

• Ask for help
• Give yourself a break
• Practice acceptance
• Take care of your health
• Join a support group

After reviewing this list, I found that these suggestions match up with my post on self-care for the caregiver.

In that post I presented a “Top 10” list, and I am thinking I will re-post that list for anyone who may have missed it.  It is the ideal list for caregiver self-care, and will help anyone dealing with stress or burnout.

The basic “Top 10” list of self-care for caregivers is as follows:

• Eat balanced meals, take your vitamins, and drink 6-8 glasses of water a day.
• Exercise regularly – some suggest daily exercise.
• Try to get outdoors daily, or at least open some windows.
• Get enough rest – this usually means 7-8 hours of uninterrupted sleep.
• Keep up with your own healthcare needs – do not ignore your own health issues.
• Take care of your emotional needs as well – do not ignore emotions which have the potential to become more serious, such as depression or anxiety.
• Relax daily, feeding your spirit – pray, meditate, journal, anything that de-stresses (but avoid alcohol and drugs as de-stressors).
• Stay social, try not to isolate yourself – find a support group or talk with close friends/family.
• Laugh more often – find the humor in even the small things; reminisce about the happy times.
• Ask for help – from family, friends, church members, neighbors, senior centers, home care aides.

As you can see, the two lists are much alike, with the second list providing even more options for preventing or dealing with caregiver stress or burnout.

I’ve done quite a bit of research on this subject and the recommendations are all pretty much the same.  And I have found that in my own caregiving work, when I practiced these essential tools for my own self-care, I was able to do a much better job of caring for my patients, as well as keeping myself healthy in all aspects.

I’d love to hear from you if there is any specific topic from the lists above in which you would like me to dig deeper and write more on that particular recommendation.  I welcome your comments in the comment/reply box below this post.

I pray you are enjoying this wonderful Christmas season!  I’m loving having all my Christmas decorations up – so cheerful and filled with happy memories.  I’m thoroughly enjoying my Christmas music.  I did get the Chex mix made, and I’m snacking on that.  Plus I’m enjoying the Advent readings I receive in my email box each day. I have also been making time to take a short rest daily.  And I never forget to pray over my prayer list!  (Hint: all the things I just listed are part of my own personal self-care)

God bless you!