How to Effectively Manage Your Stress as a Family Caregiver

Caregivers in Jupiter FL

Managing stress well is a task that many people don't factor in when they first start out as a family caregiver. The reality is that the more effectively you manage your stress, the easier it will be to care for your elderly loved one properly.
Pay Attention to Early Warning Signs Everyone has early warning signs that alert them to higher than normal stress levels. If you're not paying attention to them, though, you're more likely to be surprised when stress knocks you out of your normal coping patterns. Some of the signs you might experience could be trouble eating or sleeping, irritability, or even having greater trouble with your memory than usual. Start keeping track of your personal signs of increasing stress so that you can be more aware of normal and abnormal stress levels.
Identify What Exactly Is Causing the Stress Once you realize that you're experiencing more stress than normal, it's time to get to the root cause. If you can identify the root cause, you can decide what to do from there. So ask yourself what is causing you to be stressed. You may even have more than one situation that is causing undue stress for you, so it's important to keep asking the question until you're sure you've uncovered all of the causes.
Change What You Can, Leave the Rest After you have your causes identified, it's time to look at what you can do something about and what you can't do anything at all about. For example, a big project at work may be a situation where you can delegate some of your tasks to someone else. Issues with your elderly loved one's health may not be something you can change. If it's a situation you can change, ask yourself what you can do. Sometimes it may simply be taking time for breaks or to talk to a friend. Make a list of solutions you can choose from.
Re-evaluate Regularly Dealing with your stress isn't a "one and done" type of deal. You're going to have to re-evaluate your situation and your progress regularly. You might want to choose to do this on a regular basis, say as part of your weekly planning, or you might only want to do it when you're starting to feel the effects of stress. No one can do away with stress entirely, but when you have a plan to manage your stress well, you're less likely to get bowled over by it.
If you or an aging loved one are considering caregivers in Jupiter, FL, contact the caring staff at BrightStar Care of Jupiter. Call today (561) 741-1200.