Stress Relief Strategies for Caregivers
Caregiving is a rewarding, yet incredibly stressful job. Being busy taking care of your loved one, you can easily forget to look after yourself.
With stress bottled up, you as a carer can quickly become exhausted and start down a negative emotional spiral, affecting your mood and possibly triggering depression. In order to manage caregiving while maintaining your mood, you need to have a variety of stress relief techniques at hand.
There are many ways to manage stress and reduce your stress at any time. Here are some examples:
1. Talk with someone
When you talk with someone about any struggles or worries you may have, it can help you relieve and manage stress.
You can seek a professional counsellor who can listen to your concerns and help you manage stress. There are free phone counselling services accessible in Australia:
- BeyondBlue (1300 224 636)
- Lifeline (13 11 14)
- MensLine Australia (1300 789 978)
Apart from counselling, you can also consider joining a carer support group. Sharing similar experiences with people can be empowering and comforting. There are online and offline communities you can access to.
2. Look into respite care
It may be hard to leave your loved one in someone else’s care. But at times, taking a break is necessary for yourself and the person you’re caring for. Types of respite care you can look into are:
- In-home respite – Health care professionals and certified carers come to your home to spend time and take care of your loved one.
- Adult care centres and programs – There are centres and programs that give daycare for older adults. Sometimes they would bring in young children to let both groups spend time with each other.
- Short-term nursing homes – Some nursing homes and assisted living homes accept people who need care for short stays while caregivers are away.
3. Take care of your mind and health
Taking care of yourself is an essential practice for carers. It has been proven that relaxation and mindfulness are techniques effective for preventing and managing stress:
- Relaxation techniques – meditation, breathing, and taking a bath provide opportunities for a person to relax and reflect on themselves, nurturing their mind and soul.
- Mindfulness – This exercise is about focusing on what you’re sensing and feeling in the moment without interpretation or judgement. Simply focusing on ‘now’ and only on yourself can help you to enjoy the day’s pleasures and reduce stress.
Also, practising good diet, sleep and exercise all aid a persons’ management of stress, elevating the overall satisfaction and outlook on life.
4. Think of your social needs
It’s important for you to enjoy your own life and keep up with social activities. When you are connected with people and communities around you, it keeps you mentally healthy.
Therefore, keep contacting your family and friends and communicate with them what you need and what help they could provide.
At Living Waters Aged Care, we provide compassionate, personalised care for both your loved one and yourself. If you are seeking help, do not hesitate to reach out and contact us for assistance.
