Are you caring well and faring well?
The challenge of caregiving is not just to care for the care receiver, but to also care for you. ‘If you can’t take care of yourself, you won’t be able to take care of anyone else.’ Caregiving involves both emotional and physical labour, which requires a support network of family, friends, other caregivers, and/or professional resources. Focusing on being positive is also important. It can prevent depression and poor health, and enables you to develop a sense of meaningfulness and purpose in your caregiving role.
Did you know?
- Most caregivers experience burden and well-being at the same time.
- Stress is a symptom or a reaction to feelings and unmet needs.
- Most caregivers provide care for more than two years, and will require different needs over the course of their caregiving journey
- Positive feelings about yourself and your caregiving role, and accessibility of respite and other support services will help you to achieve a greater sense of well-being.
- Appropriate humour can provide caregivers with a mental break that reduces stress.
Do you have a self-care plan?
The purpose of a self-care plan is to achieve a balance between the responsibilities and stresses that take away your energy, and the strategies that increase your energy and level of well-being. In order to create the plan, you need to consider your current mental, emotional, physical, social, and spiritual self-care strategies and activities.
- What are the mental, emotional, physical, social, and spiritual things that contribute to your well-being that you would like to continue to do?
- What else can you do mentally, emotionally, physically, socially, and spiritually in order to enhance your self-care?
- What do you need to stop doing or what can you stop doing (by delegating to others or asking for support) to improve your emotional, physical, social, or spiritual health?
Undoubtedly there will be some barriers to achieving optimum health in all areas, but lacking in one of those areas can affect your sense of wholeness.
What can you do to overcome barriers to create balance in your life?
Here are a few suggestions that other caregivers offer to include in your self-care plan:
- Physical: Good nutrition, regular exercise, or support for physical caregiving tasks;
- Emotional: Participating in or seeking support for yourself from caregiver support groups, professional counsellors, family, or friends;
- Social: Taking time to maintain regular contact with other family members and friends, or participating in recreational activities;
- Intellectual: Seeking information to assist you in understanding and coping with changes that occur in your caregiving journey and with the care receiver’s condition; and
- Spiritual: Taking time to enjoy nature, to do meditation, or to attend religious services.
What are your own ideas to take care of yourself?
Remember, you are not alone!