When family caregivers feel stressed, angry, or overwhelmed, it’s important to develop life hacks to alleviate these negative emotions. Although you can’t eliminate caregiver stress completely, you can learn how to handle these situations with compassion, grace, and inner calm. Here are a few life hacks you can use to simplify your caregiving duties.
1. Host a Meal Prep Party
Invite family members and friends over while you prepare your senior loved one’s meals for the week. You can search for online recipes or create healthy meal options using foods in the house. The more help you have, the easier it will be to prepare meals in advance.
Homecare providers can benefit aging adults in a variety of ways. From cooking nutritious meals to offering timely medication reminders, the dedicated caregivers at Home Care Assistance are available to help your elderly loved one 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
2. Use Whiteboards
To stay organized and make your caregiving duties easier, post your daily schedule on a whiteboard in the house. Break tasks down into small steps to make each responsibility more manageable. Prioritize caregiving duties based on their urgency.
3. Listen to Music
When caregiving becomes too stressful, you can listen to music to calm your mind. Music is one of the best ways to relax and de-stress without exerting too much energy. You can listen to quiet classical music, or you can choose from your favorite artists and genres. Create a relaxing playlist on your smartphone and turn up the volume when you need a calming break.
Family caregivers need to care for their own wellbeing. If you’re caring for an aging loved one and are feeling overwhelmed, consider hiring a professional caregiver to provide respite care. Opelika families who want to prevent burnout can turn to Home Care Assistance. One of our professional caregivers can assist your loved one at home while you take a nap, go to work, run errands, or go on vacation.
4. Read
Take your mind off your caregiving duties by reading a good book or a popular magazine. Reading relaxes the mind and transports you to another world without having to travel. Try to read different books each time instead of focusing on the same stories.
5. Focus on Peaceful Thoughts
When caregiving becomes too difficult, stop what you’re doing, close your eyes, and picture a peaceful scene, which could be your favorite childhood park or a beach you love. The body is often unable to differentiate between a thought and a real event, so visualizing a peaceful scene may reduce anxiety and enhance your mood.
6. Take a Warm Bath before Bed
One of the best ways to relax is to take a warm bath just before bedtime. Taking a warm bath can soothe your muscles, hydrate your skin, and relax your mind after a long day of caregiving.
7. Do Something You Can Control
Caregivers often feel stressed over the inability to control their loved ones’ health. However, completing a controllable task could boost your mood and make you feel more accomplished. Some of the activities you can control include cooking, writing in a journal, and organizing the home.
Hiring a professional caregiver is one of the best ways to reduce your caregiving burden and make some time for yourself. In Opelika, homecare services agencies can be a great boon to seniors. With the help of the caregivers at Home Care Assistance, your aging loved one can lead a happier and healthier life. We offer a revolutionary program called the Balanced Care Method, which encourages seniors to eat nutritious foods, exercise and socialize regularly, and focus on other lifestyle factors that increase life expectancy. To create a customized in-home care plan for your loved one, call us at (334) 744-7100.