Most people, honestly speaking, wouldn’t have any idea just how much stress they are experiencing or how it is affecting them. The same holds true for your average family caregiver.
That might describe you. You may be a family caregiver looking after an elderly parent, grandparent, or even your spouse. You do it out of a sense of duty and responsibility.
Maybe you took this job on without a second thought. While you may not have considered how it is affecting your mental, emotional, or your physical health before, it’s time you did.
Stress can affect every aspect of life.
First and foremost, prolonged stress can affect your physical body. Stress is basically the byproduct of the fight or flight response mechanism that is inherent in every human being. This is basically the survival instinct.
When the brain receives data and input about a perceived threat — whether it is real, physical, or imagined, that doesn’t make any difference; the brain interprets the threat the same — it then prepares the body to fight or flee.
Now, when you are under stress because of worry about an aging parent not being safe, not being able to keep up with your bills, a health issue in your life, or something else, it is as though your body is constantly in that fight or flight response mode.
It is not healthy. It can not only increase the risk of high blood pressure, stroke, heart attack, and other serious medical conditions, it can also affect your ability to sleep soundly at night, deal with people in a positive manner, and it infiltrates every aspect of your world.
Many family caregivers underestimate just how much impact stress is having on them.
They get up in the morning feeling tired, run down, and frustrated. They worry about this aging parent or other loved one. They get to work late. They’re constantly distracted. They are snapping at people in the grocery store, on the roads, and even in their own families.
If your relationships are being hampered, if you are arguing too often with people you love, if you’re losing control of your job, career, and life, it’s time to recognize what stress is doing to you.
When you understand how stress could be affecting you as a caregiver, you realize help would be a good idea. And there is nothing better when it comes to helping family caregivers than relying on home care, even if for only a few hours at a time.
If you are considering caregivers in Spring Branch, TX, for an aging loved one, please call the caring staff at At Your Side Home Care. We will answer all of your senior care questions. Call today: (832) 271-1600.
Our Certified Nurse Aides, 24-Hour Live-in Assistants and Home Health Aides are available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. We also provide the security and confidence of 24-hour Telephone Assistance, so fast, reliable help is always available when it's needed. To learn more about our homecare services see our homecare services page.
Different people need different levels of homecare. To meet the requirements of our clients, At Your Side Homecare maintains consistent staffing levels of caring professionals. Homecare service is available for as little as a few hours a week, or as many as 24 hours a day, seven days a week
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