The Up and Down Emotional Rollercoaster

By Pamela D. Wilson, The Care Navigator, CSA, MS, BS/BA, CG

face asian woman_167x250 Caregiving isn't an easy road. You feel joy and fulfillment as well as guilt, anger, depression and loneliness. You feel family members have left you with the goods -- the responsibility of physically and financially caring for your loved one. On one hand you resent the time you spend caregiving on the other you feel guilty because you're not doing more. Your life has lost balance and you realize you can't see the forest through the trees. No one seems to understand.

Here are tips to keep you sane and to give permission to care for yourself.

Joining a caregiver support group to learn ways to cope with the emotional effects of caregiving
Begin a personal journal to record your thoughts
Watch your favorite movies or listen to music that brings back fond memories
Treat yourself to time away at the movies or even a weekend get-a-way

Worry and fear over what might happen can overwhelm all of us, regardless of the circumstances in our lives. Practice replacing worry and fear with hope. How may people go through life thinking about things they don’t want to happen and then experience them? Our minds attract what we think. How many times have you changed your day from bad to good by simply focusing and being thankful for the good? How many times have you remembered not to lock your keys in the car or noticed a nail in your tire before it went flat?

So many times we focus on the irritations in life rather than the blessings. There's nothing more important than embracing the art of optimism. The art of keeping your mind focused on the positive things, conditions and circumstances you want in your life -- and eliminating the negative things, conditions and circumstances you don't want in your life. This doesn't mean having unrealistic expectations of winning the lottery. It's a focus on maintaining positive thoughts that will result in positive events.

If you're a caregiver, give yourself a break. Take time for yourself and acknowledge that you can be in a difficult and frustrating position. Only you can change your mindset and sometimes all it takes is a change of scenery. Make a cup of coffee and sit outside or take a bubble bath. A quick ten minute break may be all that's needed to turn your day around.

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