Make “Let It Go” Your New Motto
What do you do each day? You’re probably up and at your parents’ house before they get up. You have breakfast started so that you’re ready to help them with showers and grooming. After they eat and take their daily pills, you clean the kitchen and start the housework. There are beds to make, laundry to do, carpets to vacuum, and surfaces to wipe down. You have sinks to clean, the tub/shower to scrub, and floors to sweep and mop. The tasks seem endless. Before you experience caregiver burnout, learn how to make “let it go” your motto. Bringing in home care providers to help lighten the load is one of the best places to start.
Find Ways to Release Stress
Ease stress through meditation. Put on beginner Yoga or Tai Chi videos and work out to them. If your parents want to join you, let them. These exercise routines are good at strengthening muscle, improving balance, and easing stress.
Journaling, meditation, and dance are all ways to ease stress. Crank up some music and dance around the house while you take care of routine chores like mopping and vacuuming. Your parents may want to join in, which helps improve everyone’s mood on a dreary day.
Get outside and let the power of fresh air and sun help ease stress when you can. A brisk walk around a park or neighborhood can help reduce stress and clear your mind. If there are nature trails nearby, studies show that time spent in nature is the best way to improve your mood.
Set Time Aside for Fun Activities
One of the best ways to avoid caregiver burnout is by making sure there is time for fun activities each day. Set aside an hour or two to do things you and your parents enjoy. They love musicals. Rent a new or old musical, make popcorn, and get some drinks ready. Have a lazy movie afternoon together.
Plan one day a month to go to a local museum or historic site for an afternoon. Stop at a café for lunch and tour the attraction together. When the weather cooperates, you could tour a botanical garden or zoo.
Have fun at home after purchasing some craft kits. Purchase kits to make stained glass suncatchers, embroidered wall hangings, or papercrafts. Work on them with your parents when you have some free time.
Have Home Care Aides Help With Housework
How do you free up some time for fun? Stop trying to do everything on your own. Hire professional home care providers to help with some of the daily chores. While you prepare your parents’ meals, caregivers could do the laundry and housework.
Home care aides make it easy to let some things go. You don’t have to be the only one caring for your mom and dad. Enjoy spending quality time with them by having home care aides handle some of the time-consuming daily chores. Call to learn more.
Sources:
https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/stress-management/in-depth/caregiver-stress/art-20044784