Building Resilience and Avoiding Burnout

Author

Amira Choice Sarasota

For more information about the author, click to view their website: Amira Choice

Posted on

Aug 09, 2023

Book/Edition

Florida - Sarasota, Bradenton & Charlotte Counties , Florida - Southwest

If you’ve been taking care of a person with dementia or you’ve had a loved one living in a dementia care community, you can no doubt relate to issues of stress and burnout.

Here are three steps to help manage stress and build resilience:

  • PAUSE. Evaluate where you’ve got stress. How does it manifest?
  • FIND TOOLS. Ask: What might I do in this moment to help?
  • PRACTICE. Do that thing. NOW.

Building resilience helps us avoid burnout. Let’s unpack those three steps.

PAUSE

Ask yourself - how is my stress getting to me right now? Is it a physical feeling – pain or exhaustion? Is it upsetting my emotions – Do I feel fear, panic, sadness? Is my stress expressed cognitively, overwhelming my ability to think straight? Or does stress impact my behavior – am I especially irritable, do I withdraw from others, am I overeating or abusing alcohol in order to cope?

Whatever your answer, even if it’s “all of the above”, it’s good to recognize exactly HOW stress is affecting you. You’ll have a better handle on what TOOLS might help you deal with it.

TOOLS

It helps to think about things that have helped you in the past, whether it’s exercise, drinking more water, taking a few deep breaths…in through the nose, like you’re smelling a rose…then blowing it out through your mouth, like you’re blowing out a candle. That specific breathing is clinically recommended and recognized as restorative. YOU know the most about what helps YOU cope, so identify successful strategies that you might have stopped thinking about. It might be reaching out to a particular friend, getting a hug from the person you are caring for (heck, give yourself two or three of those, you deserve them) or taking two minutes to work on a crossword.

Movement is a great mood changer. Put on some music and dance in your chair. March in place. Listen to classical music and conduct it. (Some of you might incorporate this movement into your daily routine with your loved one. They need exercise too!) Get outside when and if you can. A change of environment is sometimes just the thing for stress.

Self-talk is a handy tool, and guess what? It doesn't matter whether or not we believe the self-talk. It actually helps us just to hear it! So, go ahead! Let yourself know: “I've got this!”, “I know I can do it!”, or whatever script feels right in YOUR head.

Distraction can be useful too. Look at photos or videos that make you smile. (Babies?...Puppies, anyone?) If you are sorely in need of a laugh, what can you access to supply that?

PRACTICE

As you think about what tools work for YOU, just choose whatever in the moment seems easiest and most effective. Just try it. More good news: You don’t have to do it “right” and you don’t have to do it for very long.

What do YOU do when you need help? Who can you call upon? If no one comes to mind, perhaps you could get more resources in place. Try the Alzheimer’s Association’s Helpline (1.800.272.3900) for a listing of care partner groups that you might be able to join. You can call that number day or night, if you have caregiving challenges and need input. Or, give us a call! Many of our Amira Choice communities offer Care Partner Support Groups. Contact us for dates and times, and more resources that can help support you as a caregiver.

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