Not Letting Anxiety and Anger Overpower in Caregiving

Not Letting Anxiety and Anger Overpower in Caregiving

One reality about life that you should work on is not becoming blinded by your own emotions of anger and anxiety. You inevitably let them control your decisions in life, big and small. However, no matter how often these emotions of anger and anxiety might seem to happen, you still need to be able to control them. If not decisions in life will be skewed. Why can this happen to you? It is because if you are making decisions in life, and there are factors that affect it. It can be because of the complexity of the situation you are in. This factor can be very overwhelming. The complicated situation that you feel can direct you to have an emotional reaction which you might regret in the future. Emotions can be fleeting, and that’s one thing in life you have to deal with. When it comes to working, people would suggest having a strong foundation of not letting your emotions kick in because when they do, they can significantly affect you, especially with a job that entails responsibility with other people. Caregiving is not an exception. 

There is emotional side of caregiving that may not be for everyone. If you have issues with being short-tempered, you might not consider a career in caregiving or may want to work on that before starting a career in caregiving. This job will entail dealing with annoyances, anger, and hostility. To become successful with doing your task, you must be able to control these feelings. During this pandemic, circumstances may have gotten worse. The stress, fear, and anxiety might prevail over both parties, the caregivers and the elders. To tame this, you might want to take a couple of measures. If you want to know more about this, Eleanor Gaccetta’s One Caregiver’s Journey is targeted at caregivers and those who are considering caregiving in the future. Or, if you want to be inspired, this memoir is the one for you. It will give you a glimpse of the hard works of family caregivers.

For this blog, you will know how to deal with these emotions to achieve great heights in caregiving despite the pandemic. The following are some of the advice you might want to take as a coping mechanism:

Take a Break

When you feel like you are feeling a little bit cranky, you might probably need to step away and take a breather. Everybody deserves to take a break, especially when you feel like you will burst out because of the situation. Just make sure that you know the consequences when you let out your emotions. When things get a little bit frustrating, you want to keep things go as planned and keep things under control. Some patients can be a bit difficult to deal with sometimes. You have to be receptive to it and not let it get to you. 

Appreciate Yourself

Sometimes we all need a little patting of the back. Caregiving is not an easy job. Although fulfilling, it can still be tiring. All your hard work does not only deserve attention from other people but also deserves appreciation from yourself. If you cannot see that all your hard work is rewarding, you might be too hard on yourself. This can affect your mental wellness, which is one of your priorities during these uncertain times. You can show appreciation of yourself by simply taking a day off dedicated to self-care. Pamper yourself, go to your favorite coffee shop, give yourself a treat. This will help you reflect on life, making you realize how much you deserve a pat on the back.

Talk to Someone

Sharing feelings and thoughts will give you peace of mind. This happens especially when you are talking to the right person or group of people. The people who understand you who have experienced and are perhaps experiencing the same things as you are. Expressing all your feelings will make you feel like you will be better because you will know that you are not the only one going through it. Talking to someone gives you the best comfort you could get. 

Overall, either you provide care for a family member or for others, caregiving can be the most rewarding job you do. As long as you are in the right mindset, you are good to go.