What Can Make You Feel More Stressed as a Family Caregiver?

Caregiver in Highland Park IL

As a family caregiver, you’re going to experience plenty of stressful situations. Some circumstances can make your stress much worse than it has to be, however. Understanding what can make Caregiver-in-Highland-Park-ILyour stress worse allows you to attempt to find a solution or find other ways to manage that increase in stress.

Feeling that You Have No Choice but to Be a Caregiver

Sometimes being a family caregiver is something that happens suddenly or it’s something that you never thought that you would be doing. Regardless of how you end up in the role, you may feel that you don’t have a choice in being a caregiver at all. That can make you feel that you have no control at all, which isn’t a strong position to be in.

Having a Rocky Relationship with Your Loved One

If your relationship with your elderly loved one isn’t a good one, providing care to her when she needs it can feel contradictory for you. You may even hope that being her caregiver is enough to heal the rift between you. You might start to find that you’re resentful of your loved one or you’re in a situation now where it’s too late to heal and you regret lost time.

Having Too Little Support

Believing that you have to do everything yourself or having little to no support can create an immense amount of stress for you. It’s essential to talk to your other family members about helping out where you need the most help. Friends, neighbors, and home care providers are another option. Support groups, whether they’re online or in person, can provide a different level of support as well.

Feeling Unable to Cope

If you’re able to solve problems effectively and you’re able to cope with general life well, you’re a step ahead in dealing with your stress. When you feel like you can’t cope very well, however, even the smallest problems can seem insurmountable. As a caregiver, you’re faced with all sorts of problems to resolve every day. Finding the right coping mechanisms for you can make a tremendous difference.

Dealing with stress is common as a family caregiver, but having a handle on why gives you a tool you can use.

If you or an aging loved one are considering caregiver services in Highland Park, IL, contact the caring staff at Companion Services of America today at (847) 943-3786. Our home care service area includes Northbrook, Highland Park, Deerfield, Glenview, Buffalo Grove, Evanston, Des Plaines, Skokie, Lake Forest, Wilmette and the surrounding areas.

Jamie Shapiro