Caregiver burnout is a real problem and not often talked about! Awareness needs to be raised about this topic because it impacts many of us without realizing it. We often don't consider roles such as a parents raising infant or toddler children, children caring for aging parents with physical limitations, Dementia or Alzheimers, or those of us caring for family members or loved ones that struggle with developmental delays, chronic illness, disease, mental health issues, injury or other challenges that make it difficult for them to care for themselves.
We often minimize these roles because they are expected of us, we are not paid for these roles and are too often taken for granted and overlooked. Even our workplaces recognize the need for regular breaks you find it in the paid lunch breaks, 2 weeks of paid holidays and other opportunities for sick days and requested time off.
Why don't we consider rest as equally or even more important for those who are in a caregiving role day in and day out? Have we forgotten about these selfless heroes, that if not for them the world may come to a halt? Their contribution to the world is priceless and their reward is often only the pleasure of knowing they are making someone's life better.
When we take these roles forgranted we leave those who are in caregiver positions really only one option, serve until you can't serve anymore. The problem with that mentality is that it takes far longer to repair the damage done from burnout than it does to prioritize rest along the way. Look for ways that you can support, offer help and encourage them to prioritize self care.
If you are the one, in a caregiving role, it is time for you to advocate for yourself. You should show the same compassion and care for those you serve to yourself. Give yourself permission to take time for rest, rejuvenation and regroup. You should be prioritizing rest in your daily, weekly, monthly and yearly routines. Set REST and RESPITE as mandatory times in your calendar so that you can always be at your best.
Respite is for the benefit of the caregivers. It is asking someone else to fill a gap so you can get the necessary time to care for yourself. We know that we can not serve others from an empty bucket, so why do we have difficulty implementing changes so that we don't experience burnout.
The signs of burnout are common. Many of us feel these on a regular basis but most of us do not recognize it for what it truly is. Our body, mind and spirit way of crying out and saying "Help, I need some time to rest."
Some common signs of Burnout are as follows.
feeling stress over normally manageable things
physically drained
emotional numbness
inability to enjoy things you usually enjoy
difficulty starting or completing tasks
neglect of responsibilities
rest but still feel depleted
excessive passive activities, such as scrolling or mindless games
need for instant gratification
boredom
emotional, physical and mental exhaustion.
Withdrawal from friends, family, and other loved ones.
Loss of interest in activities previously enjoyed.
Feeling hopeless and helpless.
Changes in appetite and/or weight.
Changes in sleep patterns.
Unable to concentrate.
Getting sick more often, or having more serious health concerns.
Irritability, frustration or anger toward others.
I lived with chronic stress and operated in a care-giving capacity for over 20 years. I ignored the signs of burnout along the way until I could no longer ignore it. It was not until my health declined to the point that I could not care for my family or myself. At the age of 30 I hit complete physical and mental burnout! I can still remember the day I realized I needed serious help. I had 4 young boys at home between the ages of 1 and 7, homeschooling, while working full-time from home and caring for my niece and nephew. We were experiencing stress from the market crash and at risk of losing our home. I realized I needed serious help one morning; it was only 9 am in the morning and my kids were sitting on the couch watching TV. I had absolutely nothing left in my tank. I could not even make food for my kids to eat. I had hit rock bottom. The path there was paved with good intentions, hard work, sacrifice and love.
I did what I did because I loved my family. What I was neglecting was loving myself enough to care for myself. My path to recovering from burnout was costly. My sister and her husband moved into our basement to be in the home caring for the kids, cleaning, making meals and homeschooling when I rested, saw my counsellor and healed from the underlying reasons why I would not prioritize self-care. My sister and her husband lived with us for 8 months until I felt I was well enough to step into the role again. I was still experiencing many alarming health issues. My health issues continued to worsen for many years until I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia.
I had a decision to make with my diagnosis. Take the doctor's recommendations and settle for a life of pain, that has no cure, or choose to find other solutions. I rejected the recommendations of my doctors and started to search for holistic ways of healing my body.
What I found along my journey of research, was incredible truths about holistic wellness. How everything is connected and when one area suffers all of them suffer. I could not heal my body without also looking at the things I did to get me to that position and the impact of all those practices.
It took me a year to restore my body to health and I am glad to say that I am almost 4 years completely symptom-free from my diagnosis of Fibromyagia. The greatest thing I learned in this journey was the importance of self-care. If I want to be around to care for those I love I need to first care for myself. If I neglect this it is only a matter of time before I become the one that will need to be being cared for.
Where do you find yourself today? Take this seriously and create strategies to prioritize Rest and self-care into your daily, weekly, monthly and yearly routines. Those around you will thank you for the care you take for yourself because it will increase your ability to serve those in your life!
Join us tonight Jan 8, 2025, in our monthly webinar as I address in more detail Caregiver burnout, it's effects and how we can establish new routines to ensure we do not experience Burnout!
If you are reading this after our live event you can find the recording of this webinar on our website in the Resources Tab or YouTube Channel. Like, subscribe and share with others so we can impact more people who are struggling!
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