Five Tips for Gaining Balance as a Caregiver
September 11, 2019
You might have started to feel as if balance is something you can’t achieve as a caregiver, but you really can. The key is going to be how you plan out your day.
What Needs to Fit into Your Day?
The short answer, of course, is that everything needs to fit into your day. But that’s not helpful for what you’re trying to do. Sit down and look at what every area of your life needs and demands. You’re going to need to include tasks for your senior, tasks for work, household tasks, and probably lots more. It might help to write everything out on a piece of paper.
Make Sure You’re in Your Schedule
Are you including yourself and your own needs in your list? If you’re not, you definitely should be. Time for you to rest and time for you to do other things besides caregiving and handling tasks for other people is crucial. Setting aside even a half an hour just for you every day can be really helpful for you.
Find a Schedule That Hits the High Points
Once you have a better idea what all needs to be done, you can start to work on fitting all of those tasks into a schedule. Some of the things you need to do, like going to work, are going to take up specific spots in your schedule. Beyond that, you’ll need to try to fit in all of the various things that you have to do. Keep in mind that you don’t have to do it all alone. If there are tasks you can hand off or delegate to someone else, do so.
Resist the Urge to Over Plan
You might find yourself falling into the trap of over planning very quickly. When you have a lot on your plate, it’s easy to believe that you can get it all done. But that’s how you wind up feeling overwhelmed and even end up running yourself down. If you find yourself consistently over planning, you might want to start timing yourself with various activities to make sure you’ve got an accurate idea how long each task takes.
Stay Flexible with Your Plan
As much as you want to have a perfect plan, it’s important to remember that the perfect plan doesn’t really exist. You can do the best that you can and there are still going to be times that you need to adjust or tinker with your plan to fit in an urgent situation. Don’t let that derail you. As a caregiver, you’re going to run into situations that are outside of your plans.
One of the things that can help you to stick to your plan is to have some extra help. Home care providers can handle a variety of the tasks that might otherwise throw your whole plan into turmoil. Give them a chance to show you what they can do to keep you and your senior on target.
Excerpt: It’s tough to find your ideal balance as a caregiver, but it’s something you can do.
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