Taking Steps to Reduce Family Caregiver Stress During Self-improvement Month

Family Caregivers in Larchmont NY

September is Self-Improvement Month. As a family caregiver this is the ideal opportunity for you to think of the way that taking care of yourself impacts your care efforts for your aging parent and take steps to improve your health and well-being. This improvement will not only help you to be the best that you can for yourself, but will also enable you to care for your aging loved one, your children, your marriage, your career, your home, and any other obligations that you have. By taking the steps to care for yourself you are helping to ensure improvement now and into the future even when your care journey with your elderly loved one comes to an end.

One of the most important ways that you can take care of yourself is to reduce family caregiver stress. Being a family caregiver is a stressful experience for virtually everyone who takes on this role, and having excessive stress for long periods can lead to serious mental, emotional, and physical consequences. Finding ways to manage and reduce this stress protects you and your care relationship.

Use these tips to take steps to reduce your family caregiver stress during Self-Improvement Month:

• Eat a healthier diet. What you eat makes a tremendous difference in your health and well-being. Eating a healthy, balanced diet gives your body the nutrients that it needs to function at its best. This not only means that your body will do what it is supposed to do with less stress, but also that it will be better able to fight off infections, illnesses, and other health complications and concerns. Focus your diet on a variety of fruits and vegetables, lean protein, and whole grains.
• Get plenty of rest. It can seem like your schedule is far too busy and stressful for you to even think about getting more rest, but it is essential that you give your body the opportunity to rest as much as you possibly can. Sleep is when your body recovers, recuperates, and fights infection and illness the best. Without enough sleep you can suffer from extensive mental, emotional, cognitive, and physical consequences. Not getting enough rest increases stress, lessens resistance, and makes it more difficult for you to handle any of your daily tasks. Keep in mind that you do not need to extend the amount that you sleep at night if you are already getting several hours at night. When possible, adding short naps during the day can give you a boost and help to increase the overall amount of rest that your body gets.
• Boost your emotional health. It is essential that you focus on your own mental and emotional health as well to ensure that you do not suffer excessive stress, burnout, and other consequences that can negatively impact your well-being or your ability to care for your parent. One way that you can do this is by maintaining your favorite hobbies, nurturing your relationship with your partner and children, and always having something to look forward to. Even if it is just a special dinner that you will have with your partner at the end of the week, a half an hour of time to yourself when you will enjoy your favorite beverage at the end of the day, or an outing with your child, have something to look ahead and anticipate so that you can feel more in control and not give into the feeling of being oppressed or “trapped” by your care journey.