Are you part of the “Sandwich Generation”–caring for growing children and aging parents?
Being the care giver can be both difficult and rewarding. But it is often taxing physically and emotionally.
Emotionally, you are always on alert: when the phone rings, or always listening for that sound of distress. Your life is no longer your own, especially when you have to drop what you are doing or planned for the day to do for others.
Physically, you may not be sleeping well worrying about what needs to be done. You may be lifting from bed to chair to car and back. Or have to be available 24/7.
And who is taking of you?
I am sure you have heard this before, but it is true … You need to take care of yourself to be able to be at your best to care for others!
Here are some helpful suggestions:
- Don’t be afraid to ask for help and take help when offered–you cannot do everything yourself
- Practice good sleep habits to ensure plenty of good quality sleep
- Set aside time for yourself, if it is only sitting quietly for several minutes a day
- Exercise regularly to relieve stress and rejuvenate yourself
- Feeling sad, scared, tired, angry and stressed is normal–find a good listener to share these feelings with
- Let the little things go and focus on the big issues that really matter
- Realize that no one is perfect and making a mistake is human
- Be flexible and remember that there is more than one way to do things
- Keep connected to your spiritual or religious foundation
We all tend to place our needs last, especially when there are others depending on us. You can sustain this for a short time, but the healthiest way for those you are caring for and for yourself is to try to make time to take care of you. Give yourself permission to make one small change for yourself and you’ll find that everyone wins!