The Importance of Taking Time Out for Yourself

When you take on the responsibility of being a caregiver, you make a commitment to care for the needs of another person that can no longer see to those needs on their own. It is a very important role, and one that when you accept it means that you are also accepting the responsibility of taking care of yourself - possibly in ways that you had before neglected or not considered important.

Your physical health is of primary concern. You need to be able to, physically, perform the duties of being a caregiver. This may include such duties as:

- assisting your care recipient in standing from a chair
- assisting them in getting their shoes on and tied
- assisting them as they walk
- pushing a wheelchair
- helping them stand back up from a fall
- turning them onto their side while they lay in bed

and other duties that require physical strength, flexibility, and coordination.

Your emotional health is another major concern. When you are emotionally healthy you are better able to cope with the stress factors that come with being a caregiver. It can help to have someone that you can talk to when you are feeling emotionally stressed out, a confidant that you can talk openly to about what is happening. This can be either a therapist or just a close friend that will listen and keep your confidence or a support group of others that are experiencing the same kinds of caregiving situations as you face.

Your mental health covers such things as feelings of mental exhaustion and mental acuity. When you are mentally exhausted it is more difficult to do things such as:

- remember medications on time
- remember instructions given by doctors or therapists
- remember to take care of yourself
- remember what needs to be taken with you when you take your care recipient places (including things such as your care recipient's dentures when going out to dinner)

You can help maintain your mental health by getting enough sleep (studies have shown that it is more recuperative to get 6 uninterrupted hours of sleep than 8 interrupted hours). Other ways to stay mentally healthy are to eat a balanced diet, exercise, and meditate. You might also discuss over the counter herbal supplements such as Ginko Biloba with your doctor.

Your spiritual health is the most personal consideration of your overall health and one that is best diagnosed by yourself. This is anything that makes you feel comfortable and well balanced on a spiritual level. Spiritual health can effect the other kinds of overall health, particularly mental and emotional health. Spiritual health is a sense of peace and calm that you can surround yourself with to give you strength when you need it.

This is a health that is nourished by quiet relaxation or inspirational readings. By walking in the park or meditation. Some martial art forms such as Thai Chi or Yoga can add to spiritual balance and good spiritual health. If you believe in a higher spiritual power then prayer, or other forms of spiritual communication, can be an essential part of spiritual health.

Be certain that you do not overlook your spiritual health by making an excuse such as, "I don't believe in any kind of higher spiritual powers." Spiritual health is not caused by religion, although religion can be used to help maintain it. Spiritual health is a sense within yourself of being at peace and relaxed on a deeper level than physical, mental or emotional.

And finally comes something that I can only define as your social health, this is your interaction with others. People need people, even hermits tend to need interaction with others from time to time, so you should not feel guilty about making the time to socialize with friends and family. You can see it as a much needed break - not for you from being a caregiver, but for your care recipient. Get a friend or family member to take them out somewhere or sit at home with them while you go somewhere. This gives them a chance to interact socially with someone else and have a break from the mundane every day activities that can be a large part of their own burnout or depression.

So, to be the best caregiver that you can be, don't forget to take care of yourself. Physically, emotionally, mentally, spiritually, and socially.