physical and/or mental impairment if you consistently take on more than is reasonable.
Checking in with yourself and your support system regularly is a great way to ensure that you are being reasonable. Those who are closest to you are usually great at telling if you seem overwhelmed or if you are just doing too much!
Educate Yourself
It is true that knowledge is power. Learning as much as you can about your loved one’s condition can be very powerful and help you not feel as overwhelmed or helpless.
Being knowledgeable can help shape your expectations about their illness and make you a more effective caregiver. It may also make you aware of services that may be available to your loved one.
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Seek Professional Help
Finding a therapist or clergy member for counseling can help you deal with the roller coaster of emotions that come with caregiving and provide a safe space for you to process your feelings. For some disorders, there are caregiver support groups.
You may also find more generic groups such as caregivers of adult children or caregivers of aging parents as examples. The benefit of this pandemic has been that the world has figured out how to provide a lot of services online so you may be able to find something on the internet that you can plug into for support.
If you have a history of depression or anxiety, it is recommended that you not allow that caregiver role to interfere with your usual follow-up since you and your loved one need the healthiest version of you available.