Here Is All You Need To Know About Caregiver Burnout & How To Take Care Of It

Many people around the world are not as lucky as everyone else. Some people need extra love, care and support either due to ailments formed later in life or due to problems from early stages. Some people need extra help. This is when the role of caregivers to light.

Who is a caregiver?

A caregiver is someone who takes care of a person with a chronic medical condition. A chronic medical condition can be categorised as a person who has an illness for a long time or something that lasts forever. A caregiver's job role is to prepare basic everyday work such as preparing food, bathing them, giving them medicines on time and just taking care of their general well-being.

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What is caregiver burnout?

When it comes to taking care of a person with illness day in and day out, there could be a lot of exhaustion mentally and physically both. Especially when a caregiver is dedicated to the person all day every day then it could lead to the caregivers feeling stressed. They may even feel fatigue, anxiety and even depression. This is what can be called caregiver burnout.

Caregivers who are burnt out may feel their attitude shifting to negative. They may feel unconcerned about the people they are taking care of. This is something that also occurs when a caregiver is doing more than they can physically or financially. They may feel a state of guilt for taking time out for themselves when they can be taking care of the person who is ill.

What leads to caregiver burnout?

It is extremely important for a caregiver to take care of themselves so that they can take care of someone else. When someone is not feeling okay themselves, it is tough to completely take care of others. Here is how caregiver gets a burnout:

There is a lot of confusion about the roles

In most cases, caregivers are generally family members. Be it a family member falling ill or an elderly person, the primary family members end up becoming their caregivers. However, a lot of times when things are sudden, the family members including the spouse, children or even the parents taking care of the family member can get confused with their roles.

When they have to deal with unreasonable demands

When the patient is a family member, there can be many times when they burden the caregivers with a lot of unnecessary demands. Even with things that may be possible for them to do, they may add to the responsibilities of the caregiver. This can cause a lot of stress to the primary caregiver.

Lack of resources

Taking care of a patient is not an easy task and one needs to be mentally prepared for the same. Sometimes, it may happen that the primary caregiver is not able to provide resources, effort or even skills to take care of the patient. This may get them frustrated letting them lack control.

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What are the strategies to deal with caregiver burnout?

While stress can lead to fatigue and exhaustion among caregivers, there are many different ways in which one can deal with burnout:

Definitely have time for yourself

Taking care of a patient can be extremely draining. However, taking care of someone should not mean that you shouldn't take care of yourself. Make sure to be mentally sharp and active and for that, all you need to do is continue having a hobby. Try having some kind of activity you enjoy doing, meditating or just relaxing. Give at least some time to yourself during the day.

Accept help from others

Just because you are a primary caregiver does not mean that you have to do everything all by yourself. Unless you are someone who is trained for this job, knowing what to do as a caregiver is not something you will fully know. So, give others the chance to give their resources and their time to you. Let others help you just so that you can use that time to better yourself.

Set realistic standards

When it comes to taking care of, especially as a caregiver who is also a family member, there can be a lot of pressure. The pressure mostly comes from within. But overexerting yourself or doing things which are out of control can only make you feel exhausted. Try setting realistic goals for yourself to help the person. Go one step at a time and do things which is achievable for you.

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Try taking help from a support group

While taking care of a patient may seem like a one-person job and you may feel that you have to be strong to do all the work, but at one point everyone needs help. What is better than taking help from your peers and people who are in the same boat? Try joining a support group of caregivers or try talking to your friends and family if things get too tough.

Try seeking therapy

If things are getting overwhelming and you feel like you have reached your breaking point, try taking professional help. A person professionally accustomed to helping you will wind ways and strategies which will help you cope with the stress and burnout in a more realistic manner.

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Even though being a caregiver is quite a noble job, one must know that it does come at the cost of losing your mental health. Always know when to take care of yourself first so that you can take care of others.