New Jersey’s Expert Home Care for Elders and Seniors provides care for your aging loved ones since 1984. Please call us when your loved one needs help – 800-848-2336.
MAKE CAREGIVING A POSITIVE EXPERIENCE
Many people don’t realize that caregivers are under a great deal of stress. They make many sacrifices, and are forced to juggle all the responsibilities in their lives. In order to properly provide for their loved one, caregivers need to ensure that the caregiving experience remains a positive one.
1. Visualize a time when you felt content and light-hearted any time you become stressed, or even feel trapped. Take a deep breath, smile, laugh and let the energy from the positive memories take over. This method will help eliminate the physical symptoms, like a knotted stomach, constricted throat, shallow breathing or tightness in the chest.
2. Have help ready by identifying your ‘support squad’. This may consist of other family members, friends of yours or friends of the family. Make a list of people who can help you in some way and assign each of them roles. Your support squad can help you in any way, from giving you an emotional boost, helping provide care, or taking you out to socialize.
3. Don’t wait to call someone in your ‘support squad’ when you feel overwhelmed by your responsibilities. It helps this person feel valued, creates a deeper bond, and is a great way to relieve your own stress.
4. Recognize your own negative thinking and ask yourself questions about your thoughts to gain a more positive perspective. Questions may include the following: Is my thinking helping or hurting me? What would I tell a friend who was having similar thoughts? What is my real percentage of responsibility in this situation? What small step can I take to make improvements? What are the solutions?
5. Set realistic goals that are easy to achieve, rather than becoming discouraged when you don’t meet a large goal immediately. Plan how you will meet the minimal goals, while keeping the optimal large goal in mind; however, do remember it will take time to get there, so don’t be too hard on yourself.
- NJ Home Health Care Client Bill of Rights - March 12, 2019
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