Who Takes Care of the Caregiver? Understanding Caregiver Stress & Tips To Alleviate Anxiety....

Many people today are the caregivers of someone in their family who is ill or otherwise needs care. Family caregivers face certain challenges. This is often a selfless act performed by the caregiver not expecting any paycheck or other compensation. It is important to ask questions like who takes care of the caregiver when they become overwhelmed, anxious or depressed? A seasoned psychiatrist in Raleigh, NC, offers insight into understanding caregiver stress and gives useful tips to manage and alleviate caregiver stress and maintain health and well-being. Understanding Caregiver Stress & Its Impact On Mental Health A top psychiatrist from the Briar Creek area explains how to recognize caregiver stress, and the negative impact caregiver stress has on the caregiver's mental health over time. Those that perform caregiver duties full-time face greater risks of becoming overwhelmed possibly due to anxiety and even depression. Underlying emotional and mental health issues only serves to make the problem worse. It is important for family caregivers to take steps to keep their mental health and overall well-being stable and healthy. This is the time for families to pull together rather than expecting one family member to perform all of the work. Signs of Caregiver Stress To Be On the Lookout For Psychologists point to a number of classic signs that a family caregiver is undergoing some type of stress. These signs can vary depending on the caregiver's personality, cultural background and other factors. In general, signs of caregiver stress include:

• Appearing overly fatigues & rundown

• Facing serious financial strains

• Problems sleeping

• Losing or gaining significant weight

• More emotional outbursts

• Becoming withdrawn from others

• Panic attacks

• Racing thoughts

• Avoiding usually enjoyed social outlets and activities

• Increased family stress and strain

Those More At Risk for Developing Caregiver Stress There are a number of factors that tend to increase a person's risk for development of caregiver stress and other strains on their overall health and well-being. These risk factors include:

• Lowered finances

• Females

• Not given a choice on caregiver duties

• Less formal education

• Underlying untreated mental or emotional health issues

• Socially isolated

• Living with the person being cared for

• Increased number of hours spent on caregiver tasks

Tips for Prevention or Management of Caregiver Stress Almost all caregivers become stressed at times due to different reasons. The first step in managing caregiver stress when caring for a family member is to acknowledge that stress and not to simply ignore it. Caregivers that feel overwhelmed, are somewhat isolated or have untreated mental health issues like chronic anxiety, depression or severe mood swings can quickly become unable to deal with the day to day struggles and/or suffer caregiver burnout. Fortunately, a highly qualified psychiatrist in Raleigh, North Carolina, offers some excellent tips that can get things to a more manageable level. These tips for caregivers include:

• Finding someone to talk to who understands your situation

• Taking time to care for yourself

• Speaking up to ask for help

• Finding caregiver resources in their community

• Taking breaks from caregiver duties on occasion

• Joining a local caregiver support group

• Seek professional mental health support and services

• Learn effective coping strategies

• Getting regular health checkups to maintain health and well-being

• Consider home care or respite care services

• Get better organized

• Find help with housekeeping, meals, errands and companionship services

• Calling a family meeting

Keep Connected with Family, Friends & Community Trying to care for a family member without any assistance can be taxing and take up most of a caregiver's time. It is essential that caregivers keep connected with other family members, friends, neighbors and others in the community in order to have a reliable support system. Many caregivers make the mistake of avoiding social activities and people that they normally would spend time with due to the amount of time that caregiver tasks take each day. Taking Time Out for You Is Imperative To Maintain Health Caregivers that work outside of the home only deal with these duties during their regular working hours. Caregivers who are caring for family members at home need to take time out on a regular basis to maintain overall health. Learn more about effective strategies to prevent and manage caregiver stress by speaking with a caring psychiatrist or psychologist who fully understands caregiver stress. Contact MedPsych Integrated via https://www.medpsychnc.com.