“A day without laughter is a day wasted”-Charlie Chaplin
The above quote by the comic actor of the silent film era is indeed a gem. Are you a caregiver of a terminally-ill patient or someone with dementia or Alzheimer’s disease? Are you gradually becoming gloomy or feeling depressed? If yes, it is high time that you must find humor. You have to discover it while caregiving because you are most likely suffering from caregiver burnout.
Of course, while taking care of a senior with a serious disease, you will hardly come across any funny moment. However, you have to remember that it is important to have a good laugh even when you have your worst day to get respite from your emotional turmoil. Now, the question is how to find humor while caregiving. Here are a few tips.
Try to always look at the funny side of things
If you are a caregiver, it doesn’t mean that you have to be gloomy in the absence of any kind of socialization from your friends or neighbors. To take care of your emotional health, you have to find humor in unexpected places. So, try to look at the funny side of things. Also, encourage your loved one to do the same. You have to only change your perspective to see the funny aspect of things around you. Think out of the box to see them as never before! As a caregiver, feeling angry or miserable will do no good for your overall well-being in the long run.
Switch the characters while telling stories
As a caregiver, you are always on your toes to keep your loved one engaged if he or she is restless. Story-telling is a brilliant idea to get the desired results because when you switch the characters of popular stories, it becomes extremely funny. For example, make the character Little Red Riding Hood dangerous and the Big Bad Wolf vulnerable. This will make the entire experience full of lasting laughter.
It is important to understand that humor also helps us to cope with difficult emotions. So, whether you are dealing with such emotions due to loneliness aging or because of your overwhelming caregiving responsibilities, humor will always help you. Just make sure that in an attempt to find humor during caregiving, you don’t end up saying anything disrespectful to your loved one. Apart from laugher, you can also have other ways of beating the blues of caregiver depression. However, laughter is always the best therapy!