Why You're Feeling Guilty as a Caregiver is Important
September 4, 2018
If you're experiencing a good deal of guilt on your caregiving journey, take some time to analyze why you're feeling guilty. Understanding what's behind the emotion can help you to understand it.
Home Care in Belmont CA: Caregiver GuiltFeeling Resentment or Other Negative Emotions.When you experience "negative" emotions, such as resentment or anger, those might strike you as emotions you shouldn't have. Once you arrive at that conclusion, you might feel guilty if those emotions keep cropping up. The problem with that chain of thought is that you're a human being and you experience human emotions.That You Don't Visit Enough.In the beginning phases of caregiving, you might not need to be there with your senior every day. She may only need occasional help or you may live farther away than you'd like. That's when you might experience some guilt that you don’t see her often enough in person. What you're doing now may be all that you can do. As your senior needs you more, you may be able to make the changes that you need to make.That You're Not Doing Enough.Being a caregiver means that there's a lot on your plate. You've got so much going on, in fact, that you might even start to believe that you should be doing even more. If that's the case, you need to get real with yourself about all that you're doing. Keep track of a typical day and you'll likely be shocked at just how much you do.That You Need Help.Once you realize that you're doing a lot, you might start to experience the flip side of that coin. You know that you need help because you're overwhelmed, but it's difficult to avoid the guilt that comes with hiring home care providers. You might feel as if you should be able to do more on your own, even when you're already overextended.Wanting Time Just for You.Sometimes you just need to do whatever you want, even for a few minutes. But that can leave you feeling guilty afterwards because that should be time that you spend doing things for others. You can't be everything to everyone without also having some time just for you. You'll be a stronger caregiver when you're getting what you need.
Just because you're feeling guilty that doesn't mean that you're actually doing anything wrong. Most caregivers feel as if they're doing something incorrectly or improperly, but they're doing the best that they can. Don't beat yourself up when you're just handling each step of your caregiving journey to the best of your ability.