Feeling as if you have no control over your own life is no way to live, but too many caregivers push themselves into that situation. It’s not too late to fix that problem.

Make Time for Yourself, No Matter What

Being a family caregiver often means that you’re on the clock all day, every day. That can also mean that you’re never quite sure when you can take time just for you. The thing is, you can’t just count on there being time left over for you and your interests. You have to set that time aside and make sure that you take that time, no matter what. If you don’t, you’re never going to be able to focus on your own self-care.

Find Someone You Can Talk To

Family caregivers can feel very alone in their caregiving journey. If that’s the case for you, finding someone to talk to that you trust is imperative. Depending on your individual situation, that might be as easy as talking to a friend about your feelings. Some more complicated situations may mean that you need to find a counselor or therapist to talk to. If you prefer a group setting, look for a support group so that you can meet other family caregivers who are going through the same situations you’re going through.

Get Help with Tasks on Your “To Do” List

Delegation is going to go a long way toward helping you reclaim some parts of your own life. If you’re not very good at asking for help from other people, it’s time to learn. Start out with smaller tasks and match them up with people who have offered to help you in the past. As you gain more experience delegating, you’re going to be amazed at how easy it becomes to ask for help from other people.

Let Go of the Guilt

Guilt is a powerful emotion and it’s often at the root of a caregiver avoiding her own self-care. The feeling usually is that every moment of every day should be devoted to helping their elderly loved one, not doing things for themselves. This isn’t true, though, and it’s damaging to you.

As you allow yourself to take time away from being a caregiver, you’ll regain some of the parts of your life that are just yours.

If you or an aging family member are considering hiring a professional caregiver in Decatur, GA, please contact the caring staff at Caring Companions of Atlanta 470-514-5954 .

We provide quality non-medical services to our clients in their homes or in a facility if that’s where they live. Our staff is available for care plans for extensive care 24 hours a day, 7 days a week or as little as 4 hours per visit. Reach out to us, and one of our outstanding administrative staff will meet with potential clients to assist them and their families in designing an effective, personal plan of care.