Tips For Caregivers And Managing Stress

The holiday season is the busiest time of the year. It is also when we get stressed about everything we have to do, and honestly, sometimes we try to do too much. Slowing down and taking a moment for ourselves is not a bad idea – especially for caregivers.

If you need to take a day off, ask. If you feel overwhelmed, talk to someone. We all need to be kinder and gentler to ourselves.

Taking care of the ones we love is a huge responsibility. We do it out of love. The holiday season has us showing that love and concern even more than usual and that is wonderful.

Caregivers should find ways to deal with stress that comes with the role, especially during the holidays.

Here are tips from DailyCaring.com  to consider when looking for ways to manage stress.

• Meditate. It’s free and easy to do at any time from any location. It is also a proven stress reliver. Meditation lowers blood pressure, boosts the immune system and improves the ability to concentrate, according to research. It’s also a quick way to relief stress.
• Take deep breaths. This sounds obvious, but it is a stress reliever a lot of people forget about. Taking a deep breath makes you slow down and think because you have to concentrate to inhale deeply.
• Reach out. Talking with other caregivers or friends helps relieve stress, and sometimes, we all just need to vent and talk about why we are frustrated. Talk to someone you feel comfortable with.
• Exercise. Moving and also burning off a few calories is a nice way to relieve stress and generally feel better.
• Laugh. It’s good for the heart, the soul and your mental health. Lighten up the mood by thinking about something that makes you smile or laugh.
• Listen to music. Music is therapeutic. It has an amazing effect on the mind and body and studies have shown it also can transform seniors with dementia. Music boosts mood, lowers blood pressure, reduces anxiety and so much more!
• Be grateful. During the holidays, we have plenty to be thankful for and this is another terrific way to combat stress. It’s also quick and free.
• Accept that you cannot control everything. This is very important for caregivers. Doing your best and accepting that the outcome is not always the best is OK. All you can do is try hard and do your best.
• Stay positive. Be supportive, focus on the good aspects of a situation and have a positive outlook. Try to reduce the amount of negative talk around you.
• Do something fun. Take breaks and make time for yourself. Manage your time as a caregiver so you can be a wonderful caregiver. Read, garden, cook or do something you like for five minutes. You deserve it.