When you’re suffering from caregiver fatigue, no amount of rest might feel adequate for you. There are lots of things you can do to help yourself recover from caregiver fatigue.

Fatigue and Burnout Are Similar

Perhaps you’ve heard about caregiver burnout before. It’s a scary situation in which you’re abruptly unable to continue to give any of your resources. It’s an extreme stress reaction and it means that caregiving isn’t an option for you any longer. Caregiver fatigue is very similar, but you’re not so far gone that you’re likely finished as a caregiver yet. You still have time to adjust what you’re doing and to bring yourself back from the edge.

Infuse Your Day with Things You Love

Take a look at your day and assess how much of your day involves activities and events that bring you joy and peace. You need far more of those types of situations in your daily life. These don’t just help you to beat your stress, but they also remind you what you enjoy about your life. Some of these activities are small, such as having a cup of tea while you watch a beautiful sunrise. Others might be bigger, like meeting a friend for lunch once a week.

Prioritize Self-care, Including Time Away

The bottom line is that you have to prioritize your own self-care because no one else is going to do that for you. Eat the foods that give you energy and nutrients rather than junk food that offers you empty calories. Move your body regularly. Get enough rest. And line up home care providers who can allow you to regularly take time away from caregiving.

Practice Gratitude in Regards to Caregiving

If you feel that caregiving is something in which you don’t have any choice, it’s difficult to feel gratitude about the situation. But remember that being your senior’s caregiver allows you to spend more time with her, especially at this crucial stage of her life. Keeping a gratitude journal can be as simple as keeping a small spiral notebook in which you jot down one or two things a day that inspire gratitude in you.

The best thing that you can do for yourself as a family caregiver is to take care of yourself. If you don’t do that, you’re not going to be able to do what your senior needs for you to do. Assessing your own needs and making sure that you’re doing what you can to meet them is vital.

If you or an aging loved one are considering home care in Dulles, VA, please contact the caring staff at Assisting Hands today. (703) 982-0050.