Caregiver burnout isn’t the only condition that can impact people who are caring for a senior loved one. Compassion fatigue is a serious condition that some caregivers develop when they are overstressed and worn out by the responsibilities of caregiving. November is National Family Caregivers Month so now is the perfect time to learn more about avoiding compassion fatigue. Hiring personal care at home services could help both a senior and the caregiver.
What Is Compassion Fatigue?
Compassion fatigue is similar to caregiver burnout but it can be much more serious. When you experience compassion fatigue you may find that you don’t have as much empathy for your senior parent as you used to have. You may experience feelings of resentment that cause you to feel guilty. And you may experience symptoms like:
- * Extreme fatigue or mental and physical exhaustion
- * Overwhelming feelings of dread, doom, or guilt
- * Irritability, anxiety, or anger
- * Difficulty making decisions
- * Feeling disconnected
- * Isolation
- * Apathy
If you start to notice that you’re feeling any of these emotions you shouldn’t hesitate to take steps to take care of yourself because those feelings are signs that you’re heading towards compassion fatigue.
Avoiding Compassion Fatigue
The only way to avoid pushing yourself into a state of compassion fatigue is to take care of yourself. But a hot bath or your favorite pizza isn’t going to be enough to combat compassion fatigue. If you want to take care of yourself you have to create healthy habits that you can lean on when caring for your senior loved one gets chaotic. Those healthy habits will keep you going and help you stay physical and mentally healthy.
Some of the best things you can do to avoid burnout and compassion fatigue are:
Get Enough Sleep
Sleep is crucial to good health, especially when you’re a caregiver constantly operating at a high stress level. Pick a bedtime and stick with it. Take the TV out of your room and cut off all screens at least 40 minutes before bed so that you will get the kind of restful and restorative sleep that you need and be sure you’re getting at least seven hours of uninterrupted sleep. If you are worried about who will care for your senior parent a personal care at home provider can be with your parent overnight so that you can sleep.
Eat Healthy
When you’re stressed out and busy it’s often easier to reach for fast food or a slice of pizza than it is to cook a healthy meal but eating healthy is one of the cornerstones of keeping yourself healthy. Try doing some meal prep to make sure that you have some healthy food options pre-made that you can grab when you’re too tired to cook. Or buy pre-packaged salad, pre-cooked chicken, and other items that you can throw together for a healthy meal when you’re pressed for time or stressed out. If you do get takeout make sure it’s something healthy.
Walk Everyday
A 20 minute walk every day will do amazing things for your mental and physical health. It will keep you fit, get you moving, and help relieve stress. You can walk anywhere at any time so there are no excuses you can use to justify not doing it. Just get out and walk for 20 minutes a day. If you are hesitant to leave your senior loved one a personal care at home provider can keep your senior loved one busy so you can walk.
Meditate
Meditation is a fantastic way to reduce stress and cultivate empathy. There are apps you can use to start meditating right now even if you’ve never done it before.