As a family caregiver, worry of not being able to get it all done, to ensure everything and everyone is tended to, can be a daily thought and struggle. The overwhelming sense of coming up short or falling behind can be consuming. We all have feelings like this, but when you are a caregiver to a loved one, these feelings can be compounded and ever constant. Caring for and tending to another is and can be a fulltime job, on top of all other responsibilities and commitments. Often times we prioritize this person’s needs and health above our own, ensuring we are doing everything we can to provide, support, and care for them. This in turn often leads to the caregiver putting their own health, needs, and desires to the wayside. This, in combination with the feeling of guilt for not doing enough or giving enough is a recipe for mental disaster.
Caregivers need to remember they themselves are also a priority. Putting themselves as a priority in their own life, does not make them selfish, nor does it take away from the care they are giving to their loved one. It is much easier to focus on all that wasn’t completed or taken care of that day, rather than focusing on all that was in fact accomplished. Showing up each day to care for a loved one is of itself one of the most selfless acts a person can do. This needs to be acknowledged and remembered each and every day.
There will be days in which we will come up short, days in which we wish we did more, did better; but just like all previous days, today you showed up.
Blog written by Kara Boyerkidder