Whatever may be the cause, depression can have a serious impact on the overall well-being of the affected person. If you are a caregiver, you might have experienced the same. In most cases, caregiver depression is due to a feeling of loss, especially during caregiving to a terminally-ill patient. It is sometimes also caused due to a sense of loneliness and chronic fatigue. There can be so many reasons because of which you may be suffering from a caregiver depression. What you need is to find ways to beat the blues of depression so that you can feel better. So, here are a few strategies that might help you in a big way.
Indulge in self-care
As a caregiver, it might be practically impossible for you to take out some time for self-care, but it is absolutely necessary to refresh your mind. If you are getting only a few minutes of spare time, use that to give a quick call to a friend or a walk around your garden. If this seems impossible, try to listen to your favorite song while completing your household chores. Try to make time for at least one hour every day by prioritizing your tasks so that you can have some time to socialize with your friends or to take some rest.
Ask for help
There is no shame in admitting that you are not able to continue your caregiving journey without adequate support or help of your loved ones. Caregiving is an extremely challenging task which results in physical and mental exhaustion due to continuously taking care of a person dependent on you. So, don’t hesitate to seek help from your friends, colleagues or family members. Tell them that you need their support. You can also seek help by opting for a counseling session or a caregiver coaching session from an expert caregiver.
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Join a support group
Do not get disheartened if there is no help from family members, friends, colleagues, relatives or neighbours. Maybe you have remained isolated from all for so long that it has become tough for them to feel connected with you. In such a case, join a support group in your locality or city. In a support group, you can freely share your feelings with your fellow group members to get emotional and moral support. There are also caregiver support groups where you can vent out your frustration. Here, you can also get valuable caregiving tips from experienced caregivers.
Use respite services
When it becomes tough to beat the blues of caregiver depression by following the recommended ways suggested above, you should opt for hiring respite care services. By hiring respite care services, you can get some short-term relief from your caregiving duties for a few hours or for an entire week based on your requirement.
Moreover, respite care can be provided anywhere such as home, an adult day center or a healthcare facility. The break that you will get by opting for respite services will give you ample time for self-care or do things that you love! To know where such services are available near you, you can visit the official website of ARCH National Respite Network and Resource Center.
Another brilliant way to beat the blues of any kind of depression is to daily practice yoga and meditation. Yoga for caregivers can be an effective way to release all the stress from the mind and body.