Caregiver Burnout

My career as a Nurse Practitioner/Trauma Therapist started 24 years ago. In that time, I was the primary provider for thousands of people day, evening and night, while caring for my family, and if time allowed, myself.  Like most first-time caregivers, I started this journey with the energy of a teenager, determined to provide whatever care was needed, whenever it was needed AND for as long as needed. I started to cut out my self-care so that I could provide care to more people by having shorter breaks, quicker meals, and less “me” time. Pretty soon I started to notice feeling tired and more drained by the end each day. So I would have another coffee or hit the snooze button a couple more times to temporarily boost my energy levels. Then the irritability, resentment, and feeling withdrawn from my loved ones, including my children, set in. I started to have headaches, sleep problems and get sick more often. This is the start of caregiver burnout, and if I didn’t address it, it would only worsen. 

After there are physical symptoms of caregiver burnout, you will experience a decline in your mental health, such as trouble concentrating, anxiety, worsening stress and hopelessness. At this point, you have lower quality of life, higher mortality rates, higher rates of chronic illnesses and provide subpar care. 

So, what can you do to prevent and/or undo caregiver burnout? One word: self-care. Here is a list of things you can do daily for self-care:

1. Daily enjoyment – Wordle, read a book, watch your favorite YouTube or Netflix.
2. Eat healthy foods.
3. Exercise daily – Go for a walk, yoga, 5 min of mediation a day has proven to decrease stress, blood pressure, heart rate and improve sleep. 
4. Use your support network – Lean on loved ones, join support groups and ACCEPT help. We used to raise our children with a village.
5. Set boundaries – Learn to say no especially when you’re feeling burnout.
6. Seek professional help – There is no shame going to see a cardiologist for your heart disease and thus no shame seeking help for your mental health.

If we do not take care of ourselves, we cannot give the best care to others, including our children.  

 

Becky Morrison is a Nurse Practitioner based out of Calgary who has specialized in mental health for over a decade. She is finally, after years of infertility, a mother of two busy little boys, and doting fur mom of her gentle giant, Stella. She is, and always will be, a strong advocate for mental wellness at all ages.