Four Ways to Treat Yourself a Little Kinder

There’s a lot that wears on you when you’re a caregiver. You don’t have to be part of that, though. When you focus just a little bit on being kinder to yourself, you might find it’s a lot easier to weather those storms that come with caregiving.

Journal through Your Feelings

When you write out your feelings, that gives you a chance to pay closer attention to what you’re thinking and what you’re experiencing as a caregiver. You don’t have to be a great writer to get a lot out of journaling. It should be a way for you to explore what you’re feeling and just get things out on paper. Sometimes writing out what you’re experiencing helps you to see the things that aren’t so obvious to you.

Adjust Your Point of View

Often your own point of view is a little close to the situation to be objective. When you look at your own situation from another angle, you can usually find solutions that might not have occurred to you otherwise. Think about what you would tell another caregiver about some of the situations that are creating issues for you right now.

Pay Attention to What You Say to Yourself

What you say to yourself is called self-talk. It’s the inner dialogue that you don’t even think about as you go about your day. When you make a mistake, you might not notice that you think unkind things about yourself. One way to stop doing this is to be especially attentive to your thoughts. As you notice yourself saying something unkind, turn it around or pretend you’re saying it to someone else. If you would never say something like that to someone else, you don’t need to say it to yourself, either.

Assess Your Needs

What else do you need that you’re not getting right now? It’s difficult to be kind to yourself or to give yourself any sort of kudos when you’re not getting your own needs met. If you need time away, figure out how to make that happen. If you need additional help, there are solutions for that, too. Home care services can help you even if you’re not sure exactly what you need the most.

You might be shocked how different life starts to feel when you’re kinder to yourself. It’s a big step to take, but it’s one that will help you immensely.

If you are considering caregivers in Oakwood, OH, for an aging loved one, please contact the caring staff at Touching Hearts At Home of Dayton today at 937-558-9394.

You may also like: