As a primary caregiver, the focus is often on your loved one that requires extra assistance. However, accepting a care-giving role doesn’t mean that your needs should be overlooked. Here are 5 tips to help you take care of your self for International Self-Care Day!
Follow your own self-care advice
When you are reminding the person under your care to use the washroom, stay hydrated, eat wholesome food, rest or visit health care professionals, you should make a point in doing the same for yourself. Also, it encourages positive behaviours for your loved one. For example, meals are much more appetizing when shared. Furthermore, resting is easier when everyone else is also calm.
Include your loved one in activities you enjoy
Caregivers are a breed of selfless individuals who have the wellbeing of everyone else at heart. Doing activities that are meaningful to others can help them thrive. However, including them in activities YOU enjoy brings everyone a bit of normality.
Try new activities
Your loved one’s disease may be affecting their ability to pursue their regular leisure activities. Explore new adapted programs or try activities that complement their current abilities. The change to the normal activity may be good not only for them but also for you. Remember, maintaining a routine helps everybody, but not every day should be the same!
Schedule self-care time for yourself
You should have a time frame where you can do something just for you. To start, ask a family member to take the caregiving role for a few hours while you pamper or indulge yourself. Your break could be something as simple as staying at home alone to rest or catch up on your tasks. Alternately, it can be more elaborate, like taking a vacation to recharge. Ohana Care can help by sending someone to your home or taking your loved one out for an appointment or a fun outing of their own. With minimums of just an hour, all the way to 24-hour care, we can give you time for you!
Keep a journal
Take 5 minutes in the morning and at night to write down how you’re feeling and rate your day. Furthermore, chart what you accomplished and list tasks to be done. This can help calm your mind, so you don’t lose sleep trying to remember everything. Also, this helps when you have medical appointments. Specifically, to see how you and your loved one are coping with the disease and helping to identify patterns. As a result, you both can get the appropriate help.
Truly, self-care awareness helps keep everyone healthy. At Ohana Care, we are committed to helping caregivers get the resources they need to be there for their loved ones. Most importantly, if you start to feel tired, overwhelmed or alone, please reach out to us here. Because, self-care helps everyone to be their best!
