Caregiver Stress

We need to have stress in our lives to be functional. It helps us to set goals, motivates us to complete tasks, and gives us a structure to our days. What many of us don't realize is that it is our reactions to stress that determine how much stress affects us. The stress we feel is based on how we think and what we feel about the experiences that are stressful. We each react to stress in different ways, and each of us needs to know what these reactions are and how to cope.

Being a caregiver to an elderly, frail loved one can bring on lots of stress never felt before. But, as a caregiver there are things one can do to help cope and maybe lessen the effects of stress. Caregivers often think they have to be superhuman. But, in reality, one can only do what one is capable of doing. Caregivers have rights.

As mentioned earlier, there are ways to cope with stress. A couple of easy to learn methods are thought stopping and deep breathing exercises. Thought stopping can help you deal with negative thoughts, such as anxiety and feeling inadequate. The steps are as follows:

1. When you notice yourself thinking negative thoughts that are persistent, focus on what you are thinking for several moments.
2. Use a command said to yourself, such as "stop" to rid your mind of the unwanted thought.
3. Replace the negative thought with a positive thought and repeat this to yourself several times.

This exercise helps you gain control over your thoughts and helps you to focus on the positive aspects of how you can improve your situation.

Deep breathing can also help you to slow down and focus your thoughts. The technique is:

1. Get into a comfortable position such as lying down.
2. Place one hand on your abdomen and one on your chest.
3. As you breath naturally, begin to notice areas that are tense in your body.
4. Take a deep breath through your nose; make an effort to push your abdomen out as you take a deep breath in.
5. Hold your breath for 2-3 seconds.
6. Slowly and gently exhale through pursed lips. Exhale the stress and anxiety you are feeling.
7. After completing these steps, once again look for areas in your body that may be tense. Practice this sequence five to ten minutes, two times a day. If you feel the need, increase the time allotted for each session that you spend in deep breathing.

The time spent learning ways to cope results in you better able to cope and deal with the strains of caregiving.

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