What Does it Look Like When You’re too Stressed as a Caregiver?

Stress as a caregiver can cover a lot of ground. Here are just a few of the ways that stress can impact you.

You’re Putting Decisions Off

Home Care in American Fork UT: Caregiver Stress

Decisions are difficult to make. When you’re experiencing way too much stress, they’re even more difficult. In fact, you might find that you start postponing them for as long as you possibly can. The problem with that is that waiting doesn’t often make decisions go away or get easier to make.

Tasks and Chores Are Delayed or Forgotten

When you have way too many things to do, it’s all too easy to forget some or most of them or to put them off until a better time. There’s not usually a better time, though, which becomes a bigger problem. Keeping a master task list with deadlines can help you to make sure that fewer tasks and chores slip through the cracks and get away from you.

You’re Losing Track of Too Many Things

Running in so many different directions means that you can misplace so very much. That’s literal, such as when you can’t find your keys, your coffee cup, and that paperwork you needed to mail. It’s also much less literal when you forget that you have a big report due at work or that you have your own doctor’s appointment next week. Staying organized is difficult, but it’s essential if you’re going to continue to be a caregiver.

You’re Feeling Hopeless or Helpless

You might find that all of this running, doing, and being, leaves you feeling spent emotionally. Eventually, you might even find yourself feeling helpless or hopeless. Both of these feelings are a bad sign and mean that you might want to talk to your own doctor or find a therapist with whom you get along well.

Your Personal Relationships Are Suffering

Being a caregiver usually means that you’re spending an awful lot of time doing what you need to do for your senior, but that means that you may not have energy left over for other relationships. You might find that you’ve lost track of friends and that your close relationships are feeling more strained. You may need to work through your feelings about how you think you should be spending your time and energy to find the right balance.

When you’re this stressed you have to make some changes. One big way to get some extra help is to hire elder care providers. They can take over some of the tasks that are creating the biggest issues for you and give you some room in which to breathe and to get your feet back under you again.

Are you or a loved one considering Home Care in American Fork, UT? Please talk to the friendly staff at December Rose Senior Care at Home. Providing Home Care in Highland, Utah and Surrounding Communities. 801-427-ROSE (7673)