There’s no way you could possibly take a day off from being a caregiver. If that’s something that you’ve said to yourself, you need to rethink your approach. Not only is it possible for you to take time away, you honestly need down time to perform your work optimally.
Research has shown that brief diversions or breaks improve mental focus and overall health while also increasing productivity and creativity. Workers who take breaks regularly are able to give their brains the space it needs to return to a difficult tasks with renewed focus and energy.
Watch What You’re Piling on Yourself
How packed is your schedule? If you’ve scheduled every day and every minute down to the wire, you’re not leaving yourself any room to take time away. You need to leave yourself some breathing room. If you can’t find anywhere to leave yourself some room, it’s time to learn to delegate. Start by offloading some of the tasks that you really dislike. If you can’t find a friend or family member who can take over that task, it’s time to hire some help in the form of elder care providers to take some tasks off your hands.
Really Listen to How You’re Feeling
When you’ve been denying yourself time off, you start to ignore how you’re feeling. Your body and your emotions will let you know that they need time away, but you might not be listening. Tune in to how you’re honestly feeling. Are you more grouchy than usual? Is your temper shorter? Or are you experiencing more aches and pains than usual? You’re overdue for some time away.
Eat for productivity. Use food to fuel your body! Try consuming more nutritious meals and snacks throughout your workday that will provide you with the nutrients and energy you need to feel productive. Some examples of productivity-boosting foods include:
- Eggs
- Brown rice
- Bananas
- Avocado
- Salmon
- Walnuts
- Dark chocolate
Treat Yourself as if You Were Your Best Friend
What would you tell your best friend? You’d probably say all sorts of kind things to your best friend. It’s time to start treating yourself the way you would a good friend. You would want your friend to have time away and some rest and relaxation. Plan out what that would look like. Then do that for yourself.
You Need More than One Day Off
The truth of the matter is that one day off is not going to cut it. You have got to have more than one day off and it needs to happen regularly. The world does not end when you take a day away. In fact, having that time for yourself is going to allow you to be a better caregiver overall.
It’s definitely possible to take a day off, and even more if you need them, while you’re the primary caregiver. This does require being kinder to yourself and helping yourself to find that time when you need it most. Elder care providers can help you to do this, especially when you’re doing this regularly.