Seeking support

Caregivers often experience higher rates of stress and anxiety. Further, research also suggests that approximately 40-70% of caregivers face a sense of isolation and loneliness. When it comes to mental illness, symptoms and effects cannot be ignored for long term wellbeing. If you are feeling overwhelmed or burdened, reach out to those who can lend a helping hand – albeit in many different ways. Do speak to your doctor or a mental health professional to regain a sense of balance with healthy coping measures. Caregiving support groups, too, especially when you are new to the role, can provide a sense of community and empathy that can make a world of a difference. Seeking support and help with tasks and other practicalities from other family members may ease a share of the burden.

Seeking guidance from doctors about tools and technological aids can also provide immense support when it comes to handling the daily tasks that come with chronic illness. For instance, there are continuous glucose monitors for those with a chronic condition like diabetes that track your loved ones glucose levels through the day and can provide alerts and patterns to caregivers and doctors; or remote monitoring devices for those managing heart disease. Health tech can help alleviate some of the load by automating tasks and monitoring the health of loved ones, while giving you a bit of a mental and physical respite.

Acknowledging the role of fear

It is natural as a caregiver to feel various degrees and stages of fear and worry, in the journey of managing chronic illness. Fear about being able to manage, worry about a beloved’s health and their future and also about what may or could happen. While caring for someone, especially with a progressive form of a chronic illness, a certain level of acceptance about the illness and your feelings around it can help you plan better for the future. While natural, it can cause many a sleepless night and affect the mental health of those in charge of providing care. Seeking help from a therapist and/or a mental health professional can help you deal with the fears and other related emotions, such as guilt and anger, about the situation. Caregiver burnout too can contribute to these feelings of fear and helplessness, creating further self-doubt and worry, or create an inability to take action. It can be complicated to sift through the varying emotions, but do remember that you are not alone and finding resources that can help is beneficial to you and those you love alike.

Putting yourself back on the priority list

When we are so used to thinking about the health of another, we often find ourselves dropping way down the priority list. However, self-care is essential for the care-giver! Make sure you take time out for yourself to unwind and de-stress – whether it’s daily meditation, dabbling in your favored art form, fun with friends, reading, a new class or anything that enriches you. Even smaller pockets of ‘me time’ to indulge in activities that bring you joy and fulfillment can help with mood and stress.

Additionally, with the inextricable links between mental and physical health, caregivers too need to look after their health and cater to their own needs, of the physical and emotional kind both. Ensure that you too keep a track of your own health markers and nourish your body with nutritious food and physical activity. If you, yourself, are also dealing with a health condition, while in the midst of offering care to someone else, catering to your needs becomes especially important. In this case, technological devices and healthcare tools may be useful in providing invaluable support and ‘attention’, as you go about your caregiving responsibilities. By tracking your health even you’re not and keeping you connected to healthcare providers, these health tech solutions attend to your needs when you aren’t quite able to.

The World Health Organization (WHO) says that “mental health is a universal human right” and this right to look after oneself extends to everyone, even those who currently are prioritizing the care of others. Although fulfilling, caregiving can be a difficult journey with risks of chronic mental illness, especially when you are trying to do it all by yourself. Reach out for help and support to share some of the responsibility and alleviate mental distress.

Disclaimer: The information mentioned in this document is only suggestive /for patient education and shall not be considered as a substitute for doctor’s advice or recommendations from Abbott. Please consult your doctor for more information.