When you’re not feeling your best as a caregiver, you have to find ways to work through what’s happening to you. Often it’s not a possibility to simply hand over your responsibilities to other people, especially at short notice. So what can you do to feel better quickly? The answer might be easier for you to find than you think it is.

Ask What You Need and Get Close to That

As soon as you start feeling stressed, get in the habit of asking yourself what you need. You might need a glass of water, something to eat, or even just five minutes to yourself. Maybe you’re not able to grab something to eat just yet, but you have a bottle of water handy. Take a few sips and formulate a plan to get some food into yourself. That’s what self-care is about, especially as a caregiver.

Walk Away for a Few Minutes

Sometimes it just all gets to be too much. It’s possible you can’t take an hour away right now for a massage, but you can walk away for a few minutes. Take those few minutes. As long as your senior is in a safe position right now, you’ve got that time. Take it.

Schedule Respite Time

It’s underrated, but when you can’t leave just yet and you have a few minutes, you can schedule respite time. Contact elderly care providers and figure out when you can get that longer span of time away that you need. If you aren’t already scheduling regular respite time, work out a way that you can do that consistently.

Find Something to Look Forward To

Part of the magic of scheduling respite time is that it gives you something to look forward to. You can’t leave right now, but in two days you have the entire afternoon off. Find other things to look forward to as well, like a regular yoga class. When you have regular happy moments coming to you, you can relish those times. It’s important that you have that, even when you’re super busy. Do what you can to figure out how to make this happen in your schedule regularly.

Being a busy caregiver is not something that negates taking care of yourself. In fact, you need to pay even more attention to taking care of yourself when you’re a caregiver. These tips can help you to do something quickly, but you need to take long-term steps as well.

If you are considering elderly care in Blue Ridge, VA for an aging loved one, please talk to the caring staff at Acti-Kare of Blue Ridge. Call 888-451-5273. Our office provides senior care and home care services in the following locations including Blue Ridge, Lynchburg, Salem, Roanoke, Smith Mountain Lake, and Bedford in Virginia.