If you are the sole person who is taking care of a loved one who is dealing with health issues it can be easy to become burned out. It can be overwhelming, and you might not know what to do. Preventing burnout is also very important so that you can take care of your loved one, yourself and your own family.
“When you go through really hard times, you really figure out who you are, how you respond to things, and how things affect you”
-Lauren Alaina
Another way to say “trauma” is emotional overload. Sometimes we don’t realize when we experience trauma because our emotional limits get tested in the moments we aren’t prepared for. Trauma doesn’t have to be a giant horrible event. It can look like getting in a car accident that scared you. Even if there aren’t permanent injuries it can emotionally affect us for long periods of time. Finding different things that help you cope with emotional overload is important so that you maintain your own mental health well-being and affect those around you.
Here are some things that help people in dealing with trauma or emotional overload.
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Make time for yourself and set boundaries to avoid emotional overload. Photo courtesy: Synergy HomeCare Mindfulness/Meditations: By stopping your day and sitting for a moment to focus on breathing instead of focusing on all the things you have for the day can help you mentally prepare for all the things that you may have to deal with. For some people this looks like pulling up a video online of a guided meditation. For others this looks like spending time in prayer or just simply clearing their mind.
- Read a book/Listen to music: Find something that clears your mind in order to not focus on the hard situation you are going through. Taking some time off can be beneficial if a traumatic event is taking up a lot of your time in your daily life.
- Form a support group: Whether it’s a group text, Facebook group, or a single person you regularly call, it’s important to have a support system in dealing with emotional overload.
- Find Balance: If you work and then take care of your loved one all evening and on th the weekends, it is easy to not make time for yourself. Your social life is important for your mental health and emotional well-being.
- Set Boundaries: Every relationship has certain boundaries and sometimes if we don’t set boundaries early on, we can feel walked on or allow ourselves to get walked on and not know how to deal with it. Set a number of hours you need to yourself a week and stay true to that boundary.
By creating healthy support systems, and things you can do that relax you will help you deal with burnout or trauma in a healthy way.
Give it a try and let us know things that have personally helped you on the Synergy HomeCare Serving Olympia Facebook page!
For more information or a free home assessment, call the Olympia office of Synergy HomeCare at 360-338-0837.
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