Stress is inevitable, and actually, not necessarily a negative thing. After all, as the saying goes, “A diamond is just a piece of charcoal that handled stress exceptionally well.” Yet especially for family caregivers, the amount of stress can very quickly increase and be overwhelming, and if not managed well, bring about serious health issues.

Try these guidelines to lessen stress and realize a healthier and much more relaxed lifestyle – both for yourself  and the people you love:

• Alter your self-talk. Throughout the course of every day, you will probably find yourself entertaining thoughts such as, “I can’t do this!” or “Everything is going wrong!” Pause when negative thinking begins to intrude, and say to yourself instead, “I can handle this, one step at a time,” or “Help is accessible when I need it.”
• Take a break. Deescalate stress through any or all of the subsequent techniques:
  • Breathe deeply (breathe in to a count of 4; hold for a count of 4; breathe out to a count of 4; hold for a count of 4; repeat as necessary)
  • Go for a walk or participate in some other exercise
  • Pray or meditate
  • Play favorite music
  • Write in a journal
  • Reach out to a relative
• Try a stress-busting activity. There are lots of pleasant activities that can distract your focus away from whatever was leading to stress and onto things more favorable, for example, creating art, reading, enjoying pets or children, doing work in the yard or on a DIY project – the possibilities are unlimited, and even as little as 10 or 15 minutes invested in the experience will help.

There are even apps especially built with family caregivers in mind to help decrease caregiver stress and regain calm. Find five which can be particularly beneficial from DailyCaring.

Caregiver stress is very widespread for those who feel as though they have no support system, and have to handle everything individually. Fortunately, we have a solution! Call Relevar Home Care, provider of expert home care in Bloomfield Hills and the surrounding area, for an in-home assessment to discover more about how we can share in your caregiving duties, enabling you to gain important time away to destress, with services such as:

• Planning and preparing nourishing meals
• Help with personal care and hygiene
• Taking care of housekeeping chores and laundry
• Running errands, such as grocery shopping and picking up prescriptions
• Accompaniment to medical appointments and enjoyable outings
• Companionship to brighten every day with conversations, games, puzzles, hobbies, etc.
• Medication reminders
• And much more

Call us at (888) 493-3513 and discover how a partner in care makes a world of difference in lowering caregiver stress and restoring a healthy life balance for family caregivers.