Caring For Your Mental Health While Caring For Someone Else’s
Experiencing caregiver burnout, emotional stress, or other health concerns can make it challenging to care for someone else. Ensuring you care for yourself should also be at the top of your priority list. However, self-care isn’t just about taking a bubble bath. Below are three actions you can take to care for your own mental health.
Three Steps
Below are three actions you can take to care for your own mental health.
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Communication Tips
When bringing up situations, talk about objective behaviors and observations rather than just your interpretation.
Use “I” statements instead of “you”. For example, instead of saying “You make me feel when you ”, you can say “I feel when you ”.
Use clear communication that isn’t angry or puts blame on the other person.
Keep your expectations realistic. Allow for gradual change rather than immediate results.
Remember that you can care for and want the best for your care recipient and stay firm in expecting respectful behavior. It’s okay to step away and come back when you feel more refreshed.
Consider This
Caregivers of people with mood disorders (like depression or bipolar disorder) are more likely to experience impacts on their own mental well being and social relationships. If this is the case for you, it’s important to care for your own mental health in addition to your care recipient’s.
