5 Ways to Manage Caregiver Guilt
“AS A CAREGIVER, IT’S IMPORTANT TO BE COMPASSIONATE WITH YOURSELF AND REALIZE THAT YOU CAN ONLY DO YOUR BEST. THERE ISN’T A BAR OF EXCELLENCE THAT YOU NEED TO TRY TO MEET.”
Caregiver guilt is a common obstacle for caregivers across the board. Addressing and resolving the causes of this guilt is so important for overall happiness and contentment.
Caregiver guilt is the feeling that you are not providing enough care, good enough care, or sufficient care. These fears can cause sadness, depression, and anger, as well as leading caregivers to stop caring for themselves. While there are many factors that can cause caregiver guilt, one common cause is an uneven distribution of caregiver duties within a household. With a large number of responsibilities, this can lead to stress and self-doubt when it really comes down to not having enough time and energy to take this amount of care on by yourself.
As a caregiver, you might also develop an ideal vision of what care should look like, and what your role is. When you set these expectations but don’t meet them fully due to outside factors, you feel guilt for not rising to the standards you have set. Here are 5 ways to manage and prevent caregiver guilt in your own caregiving experience.
Recognize that you may be experiencing caregiver guilt. Oftentimes, caregivers are unaware that they are struggling with underlying guilt. This means that the first step is acknowledging that it is happening, and working to resolve it.
Be gentle with yourself. As a caregiver, you are giving so much of yourself and your time to another person. It’s important to be compassionate with yourself and realize that you can only do your best. There isn’t a bar of excellence that you need to meet.
Don’t be afraid to reach out for help. You have to be careful about remembering to fill your own bucket. It’s impossible to give anyone else something from your bucket if it is empty. Sometimes the best thing to do is to bring an agency or assistant on board to give you some relief while you recharge.
Revisit your idea of what caregiving needs to look like. Caregiving does not need to be perfect. The house doesn’t always need to be pristine. As long as the person in your care is safe and in no danger, and you’re doing everything possible to keep them in a stable condition with a good quality of life, then you’re doing great.
Reach out to your community for support and resources. There are so many support groups for caregivers, as well as patients and agencies that can give you hands-on help with caregiving. Isolation is a large factor in caregiver guilt, so surrounding yourself with like-minded people knowledgeable about care is so important.