Caring for another person is incredibly valuable, but you can’t do this effectively if you don’t care for yourself and your needs. A big part of being a caregiver involves making yourself available for another person and their needs. For many, this is multiple times a week and sometimes during less desirable hours of the day – a recipe for burnout if not properly handled.
What is Caregiver Burnout?
Caregiver burnout is an all too common phenomenon faced by care professionals: emotional, physical and mental exhaustion. It can lead to long-term health conditions such as heart disease, stroke and depression.
When it comes to self-care, many people don’t know where to start. To help with this, we’ve compiled three helpful techniques to help you mitigate burnout and ultimately become a better carer.
Create Stress Relief Habits
Your daily habits, although small in the moment, can be a key determiner of your mental and physical well-being. When done enough times consistently, they will become second nature to you but remember to start small and set reasonable expectations.
Often overlooked, going to sleep on time may be the simplest way to begin forming new positive habits. Having a consistent sleep schedule will have physical and mental ripple effects in other areas of your life that can mitigate burnout. Getting enough sleep regularly:
- Enhances cognitive function, which improves focus and clarity
- Improves your mood, helps you to cope with daily stress and reduces the risk of depression and anxiety
- Helps you to maintain a healthy weight and is crucial for muscle repair and recovery
- Boosts your immune system
Celebrating small victories is another seemingly minor habit you can pick up that will make a significant impact on your stress relief. Life coach Kate Stevens describes them as “bite-sized and sometimes barely noticeable successes and achievements we experience on our way to bigger success”. This could be:
- Drinking enough water
- Completing tasks on a to-do list
- Cooking a healthy meal over grabbing something convenient
- Completing an activity outside of your comfort zone, such as a puzzle or reading a book
It may be easy to overlook a small win if it is not something you are actively aware of, so try to take a moment from your day to recognise and acknowledge yourself in moments that nobody else sees. This can also be reassuring to your sense of self and self-value.
Make Time for Yourself
No matter who you are, making time for extracurricular activities is important. From boosting your sense of self to improved rest, regularly engaging in activities unrelated to work will make a huge difference in your day-to-day life.
Hobbies, for example, can help you form a sense of identity outside of caregiving, which improves your confidence and sense of identity. This can be especially vital if you feel that caring is a significant part of your life. Hobbies such as playing music, writing, baking, dancing, sports, or even gardening can help you enter a meditative flow state. This occurs when you’re completely focused on a task to the point where external thoughts disappear, eliminating distractions, anxiety and self-consciousness. This gives room for insightful thought, which may help you reconnect with who you were before caregiving.
Flow state can lead to significant skill growth within your hobby, resulting in a feeling of accomplishment and satisfaction. There is also an intersection with flow state and meditation. An article on this subject by Headspace states that “a mind that is trained to be more present and at ease with itself – calmer, clearer, and content – is more likely to experience the flow state because we are training in non-distraction and focus”. Essentially, the more flow state is experienced, the easier it is to re-enter.
Whilst regular exercise may not be your hobby of choice, moving your body serves as a key factor in reducing burnout. When exercising, a chemical known as endorphins is released throughout your body, which reduces stress hormones such as cortisol. This also contributes to improving your quality of sleep and resilience in day-to-day life.
None of these tips can be done effectively without effective time management and creating a healthy work-life balance. Something that could help with this is knowing your rights at work as a carer.
Build a Support System
As a result of individualist culture, one of the most overlooked preventers of burnout is having a support system: a network of people who you can rely on for emotional, financial, practical, and medical support when you need it. You may not need support as of now, but it may be helpful in the future, so it is important to establish this network sooner rather than later. You can’t do it all alone.
If you’re not sure where to begin, some examples of support systems include:
- General Practitioners
All GPs have a carers’ register. By registering as a carer at your GP, you can receive additional support, such as free annual health checks, mental health check-ins and appointment flexibility; however, this varies from practice to practice.
- Local Councils
You can contact adult social services at your local council and request a carer’s assessment to see if you qualify for help. If you qualify, you could receive a care plan detailing the help you will receive. This could be: help with housework, a free gym membership, a stand-in carer when and more.
- Support groups, Therapy and Online Forums
You may find it helpful to share your feelings with a professional or others who share your experience. Opening up can alleviate stress and make you feel less alone. You can find support groups organised by charities across the UK, such as Age UK, Alzheimer’s Society, and Carers UK.
- Respite Care
Many home care providers like SweetTree also offer temporary respite care options if you need to take a break from caring for a loved one and recharge. Whether you need it for a few hours or a few days, our respite care service works around your needs as a carer.
No matter what your commitments to care look like, it is crucial and responsible to put your health and well-being first. There may be feelings of guilt that come with needing time off from caregiving, but you’d be doing yourself and the people you care for a disservice by not setting boundaries between work and rest.