Caregiver Stress Can Make Carers Feel Trapped: What to Do?
By Carol Bradley Bursack, Editor-in-Chief
ElderCareLink.com
Human beings, especially loving human beings, seem to have a penchant for “beating themselves up” ove
r imperfections. This isn’t the place to go into all the various psychological issues that make us feel we need to do everything perfectly, but the most common and obvious issues generally stem from trying to please our parents by being very, very good, and not feeling as if we measure up.
Just because we are all grown up, doesn’t mean we are, well all grown up. A part of us still wants to please. Couple this need to please our parents, spouse or other care receiver by being the perfect caregiver with the other demands of life – often growing children or dependent grandchildren, an outside job, keeping up a home, paying bills and running errands – and stress begins to rule our lives.
If only this life allowed us to do one job at a time and do it well! However, few caregivers live that kind of life. Even if a rare person does have the “luxury” of focusing solely on the care receiver, there would still be stress. Very few people can care for another day and night without any relief, especially if the care receiver cannot be left alone. This need to be on call at all times can lead stress.
This stress crosses boundaries and extends into caring for a disabled child or any other intensive caregiving. A caregiver who is feels he or she is all alone, is a caregiver that is stressed, and one who is a great danger of having a health breakdown.
Read “How do caregivers relieve stress?”
Signs of Caregiver Stress
Ways to Reduce Caregiver Stress
