What is caregiver stress? Do you know the signs? Per the American Psychological Association, 66.6% of unpaid caregivers report experiencing mental fatigue while caring for an older adult. Nine out of ten of those caregivers are caring for an older family member.
Favorite Activities Are No Longer Appealing
Do you find yourself avoiding things you love to do? You no longer want to go out with friends. You don’t enjoy your favorite hobbies anymore. You have lost interest in many of the things that used to bring you joy. You could well be burned out.
You Can’t Stop Worrying
Constant worry is one sign of caregiver stress. If you can’t stop worrying that you’ve done the right thing or made the right decisions, it’s a sign that you’re overthinking things, which boosts anxiety.
Sometimes, you need to stop the negative self-talk. If your brain has you thinking that you haven’t done enough, taken enough time to help your parents, or that you’ve forgotten something, you need to stop, take a breath, and regroup.
Insomnia Keeps You Up
You wake in the middle of the night and can’t shut off your brain. You end up staying awake and giving up trying to sleep. That leads to you feeling exhausted all day. Or, you can’t seem to want to get up each day. You feel an urgent desire to stay in bed and shut the world out.
Insomnia and sleeping issues are common when you’re burned out. If you’re sleeping too much or too little, you need to stop and think about your role as a family caregiver.
You’re Binge Eating or Not Eating Enough
Are you eating too much or not eating enough? If you’re gaining weight or losing weight and not trying to do either, you should stop and consider the fact that you’re stressed. Stress eating can impact your weight.
You may also be making poor nutritional choices. You’ve been at your parents’ all day. On the way home, it seems easier to get takeout than to go home and cook. Takeout is often high in saturated fat, sugar, and sodium, which isn’t the best when it comes to your nutritional needs.
It’s Time to Look Into Having Help
What do you do if you’re stressed? Look into the benefits of personal care at home aides for your parents. You can still help them out, but you need to balance their care with your need for a break.
With personal care at home, your parents have the support they need to remain independent while you have time for self-care.
If you or an aging loved-one is considering Personal Care at Home in Webb City, MO please contact the caring staff at Adelmo Family Care today at (417) 206-4576.
Sources:
https://www.apa.org/monitor/2020/11/numbers-stress-caregivers
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