Care For Caregivers–The Forgotten Ones

It takes a special person to be a care-giver. But on occasion you may need to be reminded to take care of yourself. Remember, if you fall apart, there will be two of you needing care.

Known as part of the ‘sandwich’ generation, the typical caregiver is a 46-year-old female Baby Boomer with some college education who works full time, has her own partner and family and spends more than 20 hours per week caring for her parents who live nearby.

Caregivers are usually alert to the stresses of people they help. In addition to the pure physical stress, there’s the emotional and intellectual stress of trying to fit in the care-giving with family responsibilities. There’s usually a huge dollop of guilt somewhere in there too, that they are not doing enough for either the parents, or their own family. They are not, however, alert to the stress and fatigue that can slowly surface in their own lives, until something drastic happens.

Either a parent dies, or becomes more ill and unmanageable and crisis decisions have to be made or the caregiver becomes ill through stress and fatigue.

“It’s usually at this point, they come into the clinic for help,” explains Dr. Georgina Cannon, author and director of the Ontario Hypnosis Centre school and clinic. “They
want to learn how to de-stress and get more energy, because usually they are bone
tired. They feel fragile, overwhelmed and burned out.”

Because the problem is so common, Cannon developed a three-point self-care program
that she gives to these clients, and encourages them to pass it on to their friends in
the same situation.

Eat well – avoid junk food and simple carbs which raise the insulin levels and cause the body even more stress. Lots of fruit, veggies and easy to prepare protein, like grilled chicken or fish. Perhaps try batch cooking for the family and for on-the-run eating.

Include yourself on the list of people you’re taking care of. Take time, MAKE TIME for yourself, even if it’s only 30 minutes in the morning quiet time – maybe a walk, self hypnosis, or a long shower. It’s not an indulgence, it’s a necessity. Cannon teaches her clients how to do self hypnosis and relax almost instantly.

Spend time with your family and friends – remember the person inside the care giver’s skin. That person deserves to feel the love and interaction of family and friends.

“The self hypnosis program is a gift they give to themselves” explains Cannon, “It is something, once learned, can be used to achieve any goal – including stress management. And if you practice it daily, you can reduce the time it takes do de-compress down to less than two minutes!”