When You’re Caring For Others
If you play a caregiving role in any sort or fashion and have a challenging time making it all work, know that you’re not alone.
Caregiving takes a lot of energy and intention. Balancing the needs of caring for others takes a lot of compassion and empathy. It’s not just the hours that you put in to be a caregiver, it’s also the mental and emotional energy that is involved. And if you’re not feeling the most optimal due to the stresses of just getting through the day, caregiving can take its toll.
It can affect your work, as you may be jumping back and forth between being a caregiver and trying to work. So often, you may be working earlier or later hours to get what you need to get done. Getting into the flow of balancing your day takes patience and self-compassion. Things can come up during your day and you may not be able to control them. Unexpected events during the day may also impact your sleep, so getting into the flow of getting good sleep to have a productive next day is also something that can be more than challenging.
I wrote about this earlier in a post last year, where the small things can ‘feel like’ big things because you just have too much on your plate. The mental and emotional energy that you feel when you are at your most optimal state allows you to make better everyday decisions. When you’re depleted from all the requests and just find yourself spinning in all the to-do’s, you almost feel like you’re a machine going through the motions.
Give yourself permission to take a break. Take breaks to do things solely for yourself and not for others.
Find ways to connect with yourself. It’s key to get back into your body and connect back to who you are. Protecting your own energy is so key.
Take it one day at a time. Don’t focus on the past and future where the anxiety and worry can live, focus on being present and just doing one thing at a time.
You cannot change others, you can just change yourself. Focus on your own actions and what you’re doing, don’t worry about what others are thinking/not thinking.
Talk it out. Find a way to work through what you are feeling. Be curious about what’s coming up. Talk through what you’re experiencing from your perspective with someone who can offer a safe space for you.
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Thanks as always, for taking the time to read my articles.
