Practicing Self-Care This Valentine’s Day
Just as we start to believe the holidays are over, we launch into another one! Valentine's Day is a celebration of love and joy, which is made much more remarkable when the love has lasted for many years. It's also the ideal time to share a few things you can do as a caregiver to take care of yourself. Many caregivers can find it difficult to ask for assistance; but, adopting this attitude can cause feelings of isolation, inpatients, and unhappiness.
If you want to provide the best care, it is imperative that you maintain your own health and wellbeing. When your needs are addressed, the person for whom you are caring will benefit. Giving care can be a challenging and satisfying journey at times. However, when we are focused on giving care to the people we love, it can be easy to forget to give care to ourselves.
Being there for a loved one in their time of need is a core value for many caregivers. However, an evolution of emotions is all but certain; feeling angry, irritated, exhausted, worn out, lonely, or depressed is all too common. Extra strain on caregivers' bodies and minds caused by giving care is all too common. Feelings of stress that exacerbate health challenges are all too common.
In the middle of a caregiver journey, it can be easy to put your own health and wellness on the backburner. However, there are a few ‘easy’ things you can do to work towards taking back control of your health and wellbeing and make sure your needs are fulfilled.
First - be gentle to yourself. Practice self-compassion by giving yourself credit for the demanding, intricate work of caregiving, even if it's just a few minutes each day.
A few more ideas include:
- Ask for and accept help.
- Join a support group.
- Give yourself 15 minutes of quiet
- Practice breathing exercises
- Reading a book or magazine while taking a bubble bath.
- Journaling
Let’s Spread the Love this Valentine’s Day
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