On Call 24/7

One of the things that a full-time family caregiver has to get used to is being on call 24/7. One of the most common problems that they face is exhaustion. A depletion of their energy to the point that they are unable to care for two people at one time (themselves and their care recipient) and so the caregiver often makes a choice to neglect their own needs to provide care for the care recipient.

It can be difficult to make time for yourself when you are trying to dedicate your all to caring for someone else. You may even feel guilty about taking time to yourself.

In the past I have declined help with even the most basic of things, such as helping my dad from a chair to his wheel chair, only to think immediately afterward that I should have accepted the offer of assistance. The problem with being in a mindset where you want to be able to do everything is that over time the offers of assistance get fewer and fewer and eventually you are left with a realization that you could have let others help, but no one is offering to help any more.

If you are just starting out as a caregiver, it can be feel like you are imposing on others if you accept their offers of help. You might feel like it is your responsibility to get something done and feel bad about it when someone else does what you perceive as your responsibility. Learn early on the lesson that you can not do everything on your own.

Ways to avoid burning out:

• Eat well balanced meals - it can be hard to eat well when you are always on the run, particularly if you and your care recipient are on different diets or eat at different times of the day, but it is important to do your best to eat healthy to help you maintain energy.
• Exercise - even if it is just for 30 minutes three times a week. By doing strength training and something such as yoga you can be better ready to help your care recipient move about and avoid falls. Trust me when I say that it is not something that comes naturally for a 5'2" woman to catch a 6'2" man and keep him standing upright. Keep yourself in shape and you'll be better ready when something happens that demands you being in shape.
• Get out and enjoy the open air. Going to the doctor's office? Make time in the schedule to stop for a few minutes at the park and walk along the trails with your care recipient. Fresh air and nature does wonders for helping to recharge your batteries. Got to the doctor's office a little early? Don't mess with the waiting room, sit in the car for a few minutes and people-watch or enjoy the birds in the trees with the windows down. It can be more re-energizing than you would think.
• Take up a hobby that allows for interruptions. As a full-time caregiver you are going to be needing to jump and run more than you can imagine. So find a hobby that you enjoy that allows for interruptions. You don't want to have to hurry back because the paint is drying, so if you enjoy painting see if oils might be an option. Knitting requires a lot of counted stitches, and it is not easy to keep track of just where you are sometimes (I tried knitting) so one option if you love to knit might be to keep a counting string looped into your work so that you can more easily count back to where you left off when you have to drop things and run.
• Enjoy the sunrise/sunset. At least occasionally you should get a nice cup of coffee or tea (hot or cold) and sit in a comfortable place where you can watch the sunrise or sunset. Don't let anything intrude on your thoughts, just enjoy the slow play of colors across the sky and landscape as the light changes. This is one of my favorite ways to recharge. To just sit and let my mind clear early in the morning and watch as the sun rises over the distant mountains and peeks through the window to caress my face as I let my eyes drift closed. Very relaxing.