How to Recognize and Prevent Family Caregiver Burnout

Family caregiver burnout is when the long-term stress of caring for your elderly, ailing, or disabled loved one leads to a state of physical, mental, and emotional exhaustion. It is a gradual process that escalates over time and can happen to anyone, no matter how much you love the person you are caring for or how good a caregiver you are. Often it is also accompanied by a change in attitude from positive and caring, to irritable, resentful, neglectful, and/or abusive.

When you take time to replenish your spirit, it allows you to serve others from the overflow. You cannot serve from an empty vessel. – Eleanor Brownn

Stages of caregiver burnout

Typically, caregiver burnout progresses through the following three stages.

Stage 1

Much like the honeymoon stage, you start with high hopes and expectations, believing that you can do it all. You may feel a renewed sense of connection with your loved one and taking care of him or her may at first feel rewarding.

Then, as you settle into the daily routine, your earlier hopes give way to frustration and disappointment. As you face the fact that you do not have control over the health outcomes of your loved one, you can become disillusioned. As you realize you cannot cure your loved one or make them well, your resources start to thin, and fatigue sets in.

Stage 2

Challenges gradually increase as you try to juggle your caregiving duties with your other responsibilities. Perhaps you experience conflict with doctors or other family members. You feel unappreciated, overwhelmed, and caught up in a grueling grind. Tasks may seem to be taking longer, and more hours do not necessarily translate to seeing better results. Frustration sets in, pressure mounts, and you may start to feel angry and resentful toward your loved one.

Step 3

Symptoms of burnout are clearly visible. You feel helpless and hopeless, drained, used up, apathetic, unable to concentrate, inadequate, and overwhelmed by the constant demands and responsibilities that are pulling at you from different directions and stretching you thin. Your ability to provide proper care becomes weakened. On top of this, you feel self-critical and guilty for feeling the way you do.

Recognizing the telltale signs that you are becoming overwhelmed by your duties enables you to address them before they turn into full-blown caregiver burnout.

Some of the key ones to watch out for include physical fatigue, emotional exhaustion, trouble sleeping, irritability, inability to concentrate, feeling frustrated with your loved one, being less committed than you were in the beginning, general discontent, depression, or withdrawing from friends and social activities.

Ways to care for yourself

If you are experiencing these symptoms, there are things you can do to help yourself feel better. First and foremost is to take time for self-care. Unless you maintain your own physical and mental health, you won’t be able to provide quality care for your loved one.

Some other ways you can avoid caregiver burnout are by reaching out to others for assistance and arranging for respite care. Being realistic about your loved one’s condition and what you are able or unable to do is helpful. Likewise, setting clear boundaries helps cope with the constant demands and may prompt others to get involved in your loved one’s care. You might also look for ways you can do routine tasks more efficiently, and delegate or postpone what you can.

Finding a space to unpack your experience will be life-giving. A support group for caregivers is one example. Counseling is another option to consider. A trained mental health professional can provide non-judgmental emotional support, help you process your feelings, and equip you to better manage the challenges you are facing.

Reaching out

If you recognize these symptoms of caregiver burnout are creeping into your life, please take action. Reach out to us today. We would be happy to set up an appointment for you to meet with one of the faith-based counselors in our directory. They would be eager to walk with you in countering caregiver burnout.