How Caregivers Can Tell it’s Time to Take a Day Off

How Caregivers Can Tell it’s Time to Take a Day Off

As a caregiver, you dedicate your time, energy, and love to ensuring the well-being and comfort of your elderly loved one. Being there in their moments of need is truly rewarding, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t also exhausting. It’s important to recognize that, while your commitment to your role is commendable, you have to care for yourself.

Determining how caregivers can tell it’s time to take a day off will not only benefit the caregiver’s life, but their caregiving abilities. For the sake of your health, watch out for these key signs of caregiver burnout and take the proper steps to care for yourself.

You’ve experienced a dip in your energy and productivity

It’s impossible to expect that you’ll have high energy every day of the week. However, consistently low energy could be a sign of a different problem. If you find it difficult to get out of bed in the morning and/or you regularly struggle to complete your daily tasks you may be more inclined to push yourself harder. This, however, is likely to make you feel even worse.

Some caregivers feel anxiety about leaving their work behind, when in actuality, working in an unproductive state makes your job even harder. When you give yourself time to recuperate, you then return with the energy you need to complete your work.

You’re overwhelmed by your workload

Caregivers are some of the most hard-working individuals out there. On top of managing their own lives, they are also responsible for the well-being of another adult. This comes with a laundry list of tasks that can easily overwhelm the most experienced caregiver.

Being overwhelmed often goes hand-in-hand with one’s energy and productivity. When feeling overwhelmed, it’s hard to focus on any one thing, which has a substantial impact on one’s work.

You’re feeling ill

Did you know stress can manifest physically? In addition to the emotional and behavioral impacts, stress can have physical ramifications. Stomach issues, headaches, and even frequent colds are all tell-tale signs of stress.

These symptoms can arise for any number of reasons, so it’s important to take note of when (and how often) you experience them. If you notice a trend with your stress levels, it may be time to take a step back from work.

Receiving help from an at-home caregiver

If you find you struggle with the innumerable tasks that come with caregiving, you aren’t alone. Luckily, there is help. An at-home caregiver with Home Care Powered by AUAF can take over some of the non-medical activities of daily living you require assistance with. Whether you have them come in once a week or for a few hours every day, an extra pair of hands makes a world of difference in not only your productivity, but your mental health.

If you are curious about how a caregiver can support you or a loved one, give us a call at 773-274-9262. We would love to help.