Elder Care in Juno Beach FL
Guilt is an extremely common emotion that family caregivers experience. It can strike no matter how effective you are as a family caregiver.When You Might Experience Guilt You're likely to experience guilt when your loved one feels that you're not doing as much as you should or what you should in order to care for her. You might also feel guilt on your own when you focus on caring for yourself or for another family member who needs you. Guilt happens any time that "should" enters the picture because it implies that no matter what it is that you're already doing, it's just not enough or right.
Why Guilt Is Bad for You Guilt makes you second guess every move that you make, which can either paralyze you so that you don't feel you can do anything or it makes you so uncomfortable that you start making mistakes. It can also cause you to feel that you're "less than." It also takes up valuable brain space that you can use for countless other activities. In short, guilt is something that you want to banish as quickly as you can.
Dealing with Guilt The first way that you can deal with guilt is to give yourself some grace. No matter what is going on in your life and in your elderly loved one's life, you're doing the best that you can with the situation that you have. With that in mind, you can start to feel the beginning twinges of guilt, but stop immediately and ask yourself if you've done your best. In the unlikely case that you haven't, simply ask what you could do better next time, then make it a point to take that action. Journaling can help with this because you can write out the situation in detail and go back over your answers later.
Find Additional Help Another method that you can use to get rid of guilt is to get some extra help. It's entirely possible that you truly can't do or be everything that your loved one needs. You are only one person, after all. Try talking to friends and other family members about pitching in. You may also need to hire elder care providers. Round out the week by making sure that all necessary items are covered by someone, even if it isn't you. With diligence, you'll be able to get rid of guilt so that it can stop clouding your judgement.
If you or an aging loved one are considering elder care in Juno Beach, FL, contact the caring staff at BrightStar Care of Jupiter. Call today (561) 741-1200.