You’ve got a lot on your plate when you’re a caregiver, but that doesn’t have to mean that you completely wear yourself out constantly to get it all done. You’re going to have to find a balance and part of that involves recognizing when you’re expecting too much from yourself.
Nothing Feels Interesting
It’s tough to keep yourself doing the things you love to do when you don’t have a lot of extra time. You might even find that you occasionally do have time to try some of the things you love to do, but none of them feel exciting or even interesting to you anymore. That can be a sign that you’re not getting all of what you need.
You Frequently Feel Overwhelmed
Part of what happens when you spread yourself too thin is that you’re overscheduling yourself consistently. That could mean that you literally have every waking moment packed full of activities that have to get done and it would be amazing if you weren’t overwhelmed by that. When you’re keeping yourself in that overwhelmed space too often, you don’t give your brain or your body time to recover.
You’re Exhausted All the Time
In addition to feeling overwhelmed, you might be feeling tired all the time, too. If you’re seriously overscheduling yourself, you’re probably cutting into sleep time to get a lot more done. But that has a point of diminishing returns. You might be able to go without sleep for a short period of time and still get everything done, but that isn’t something that is sustainable for a longer period of time.
You’ve Got a Lot More Anxiety than Usual
When you’re doing a lot more than you usually do, you’re also likely to be a little more worried or even anxious about what needs to be done. If you feel as if you’re not focused on the right things as a caregiver, that can be worrying, too. The things you’re anxious about might not necessarily be accurate, but they still affect you.
You’re Experiencing Darker Emotions, Like Anger
Lots of times caregivers get surprised by emotions they perceive as negative, like frustration or even anger. But the full range of emotions is part of being human and they’re going to make an appearance. Trying to deny them or ignore them is only going to make the whole situation much more difficult to manage.
If you’re doing too much as a caregiver, you’re going to need to back things down a bit. It’s much better for you to do that on your own instead of experiencing an illness or other problem that forces you to take things easier.
If you or an aging loved-one are considering hiring Elder Care in Tempe, AZ, or anywhere in the East Valley, please contact the caring staff at Legacy Home Care.
Call (480) 777-0070
Legacy Home Care has been serving the valley since 2007. We are family owned and operated with over 75 caregivers. We offer a customized care plan that includes services such as: Hourly Senior Home Care, 24-Hour Home Care, Dementia Care, Personal Care and Companion Care. Also ask us about our Veterans' Home Care program.
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