4 Ways to Reduce Stress From Caregiver Emotions

Author

Sunnyslope Estate Villas

Posted on

Jul 07, 2021

Book/Edition

Colorado - Denver Metro

Caring for seniors is an emotional job
One caregiving challenge that doesn't get enough attention is dealing with the strong emotions that unavoidably come up.
Caregiving is hectic and exhausting, so it's natural to push aside the feelings and focus on concrete tasks especially when those feelings are ones, we don't want to admit to.
The problem is, if these emotions aren't dealt with, they can seriously damage your health.
Dealing with these strong emotions rather than ignoring them significantly reduces stress, improves your ability to care for yourself, and helps you be realistic and get the help you need.
We describe top caregiving emotions and share 4 ways to help you manage difficult feelings to reduce stress and improve your health.
Common caregiver emotions
While caring for an older adult, many caregivers have strong and conflicting feelings.
Top emotions include:

Anger at your older adults frustrating behavior
Anger at their disease or the aging process itself
Anger that you've been forced to take on so much responsibility
Guilt over thoughts and feelings (like wishing they would pass away sooner to prevent more suffering, being angry, wanting to quit, etc.)
Anxiety because you don't know what will happen next
Frustration that you can't stop what's happening
Despair that there aren't any treatments that can restore them to the way they used to be
Sadness for all that you've both already lost
Anticipatory grief, which means that you're dealing with losing your older adult before they actually pass away


4 ways to manage strong caregiver emotions
1. Don't ignore your feelings Ignoring anger, sadness, and other caregiver emotions only makes things worse.
Forcing away your feelings can cause high stress, sudden angry outbursts (and guilt afterwards), hopelessness, unhealthy life choices, sleep problems, or depression.
Acknowledging and identifying your feelings may be uncomfortable at first.
But the more you accept what you're feeling, the less likely you'll be plagued by those negative health side effects.
2. Don't be strong and silent
You don't need to pretend that everything is fine. You're in the middle of a serious, sometimes scary, and literally life-changing situation.
Not allowing yourself to cry, show anger, or say that you're frustrated and need help adds an incredible amount of stress to an already stressful situation.
Instead, give yourself permission to share with supportive family and friends. Talk about what's really happening, how you're feeling about it, and what kind of help you need.
You'll get rid of the extra stress from pretending, get more understanding from others, and be more open to support.

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