Dealing with caregiver stress is something that you likely expected when you made the decision to step into the role of caring for your aging loved ones. You knew that you would have to work out fitting all of your parents’ needs into your schedule while also keeping up with your children, your partner, your home, and your work. Even if you were prepared for it, however, you might not have realized how much of an impact your caregiver stress could have on your life.

Stress, particular in high levels, can have a wide variety of health consequences, including:

Stress
Depression
Anxiety
Increased risk for infection and illness
Fatigue
Digestive problems
Headaches
Irritability
These consequences, however, are not just troublesome in of themselves. They can also combine to have a marked negative impact on your quality of life. Recognizing this negative impact allows you to make changes in your care journey to protect your own well-being as well as the quality of life of all of the people who you love.

If you think you may be experiencing a decline in your quality of life due to your caregiver stress, evaluate your life for some of these signs:

• You seem more tired than usual, wake up feeling tired, or never feel like you have enough energy to do the things that you need or want to do during the day

• You feel “under the weather” or sick more often. This could mean that you have headaches more frequently, that you feel like you are dealing with a cold or allergies more frequently, or that you are just about to come down with something

• You are ill more often than you usually are

• You feel irritable or short of temper frequently, and this leads you to having emotional outbursts, being short with your family, or not showing patience during challenging times

• You feel sad or upset frequently, or like you are on the brink of tears even when you are not facing anything that you feel like should upset you that much

• You feel like you do not have the chance to spend quality time with your children and are missing their activities that you would usually attend, such as their sporting events, dance practices, group meetings, or school events

• You feel like you do not have the chance to spend quality time with your partner and are not connecting with him on a daily basis any longer. You may feel like you do not have the time to enjoy downtime together, that you have not really seen each other in days, or that you cannot remember the last time you had a real conversation

• You are missing participating in your favorite activities or spending time with friends who you have not seen much recently because of your busy schedule

• You are starting to feel upset, bitter, or even resentful toward your parents for the amount of time that you are having to dedicate to taking care of them.

If you feel like your quality of life is suffering because of your caregiver stress, it is time to make some changes. Find out about hiring a home care provider to take on some of your care responsibilities, support groups to offer encouragement and advice, and others who can help you ease your stress and improve your care relationship.

If you or an aging loved one are considering homecare in Wellesley, MA or anywhere in Eastern Massachusetts, please call the caring staff at Care Resolutions – (508) 906-5572kkkkk