Family Caregiver Tips to Manage Stress

Stress is unavoidable, and actually, not always a bad thing. After all, as the saying goes, “A diamond is just a piece of charcoal that handled stress exceptionally well.” Nevertheless particularly for family caregivers, the level of stress can easily escalate and start to become frustrating, and if not handled effectively, this can result in serious health issues.

Try these tips  to lessen stress and obtain a healthier and calmer lifestyle – both for yourself and the people you love:

• Change your self-talk. Over the span of every day, you may find yourself entertaining thoughts such as, “I can’t do this!” or “Everything is going wrong!” Stop when negative thinking starts to intrude, and say to yourself instead, “I am able to handle this, one step at a time,” or “Help is readily available whenever I require it.”
• Take a break. Deescalate stress through any or all of the following strategies:
  • Breathe deeply (inhale to a count of 4; hold for a count of 4; exhale to a count of 4; hold for a count of 4; repeat as needed)
  • Go for a walk or participate in some other regular exercise
  • Pray or meditate
  • Listen to favorite music
  • Write in a diary
  • Phone a friend
• Try a stress-busting activity. There are a lot of engaging activities that will divert your focus away from whatever was generating stress and onto things more favorable, for instance creating art, reading, enjoying pets or children, doing work in the yard or on a do-it-yourself project – the ideas are unlimited, and even as little as 10 or 15 minutes allocated to the experience often helps.

There are even apps specifically created with family caregivers in mind to help lessen stress and restore calm. Find five that are very effective here from DailyCaring.

Caregiver stress is particularly widespread for those who feel as though they have no support system, and have to handle everything on their own. Fortunately, we have an answer! Call Home Sweet Home In-Home Care for an in-home assessment to discover more about how we can help in your caregiving duties, providing you the crucial time away to destress, with services that include:

• Planning and cooking nutritious meals
• Assistance with personal care and hygiene
• Taking care of housekeeping chores and laundry
• Running errands, for example, buying groceries and picking up prescriptions
• Accompaniment to medical appointments and enjoyable outings
• Companionship to brighten each day with stimulating conversations, games, puzzles, hobbies, etc.
• Medication reminders
• And so much more

To learn more about our top-rated elder care in Battle Creek, MI and the surrounding area, give us a call at (269) 963-9888. In other Michigan communities, email or give us a call at (269) 373-5444 in Kalamazoo, (269) 763-5350 in Paw Paw, and (269) 849-9252 in St. Joseph to learn more and find out how a partner in care can make a world of difference in reducing stress and restoring a healthy life balance for family members. For a full list of the communities we serve, please visit our Locations page.