Notes of a Caregiver

I think one of the biggest things you can learn as a caregiver is to find the little things that help you get through the day. One of the most stresful aspects of dealing day to day, is specifically keeping a positive attitude when life seems to be pressuring you into a corner. It’s an attribute and coping mechanism easily overlooked, but can be one of the biggest weapons in your arsenal with coping.

This can be easily applied to anyone trying to cope with stress and frustrations of living. Learning to keep a smile and hold on to the good that happens in your life is a harder task than it sounds. Often a caregiver is the brunt of blame or accusations for the patients current dilemma. Learning to let go of the simple frustrations, on top of the things that may compound a situation, can root you in the present, and help you through your day.

One day I stopped by my parents place to check in on my father. As soon as I walked through the door, he already looked flustered. He was searching for his eyeglasses. I spent half an hour searching the house for them. I finally found the glasses sitting on the bathroom counter. I gave them to him, and within 5 minutes he had lost them again. These are small inconveniences that can add much more stress and trouble than it’s worth. If I were to take it personally and let the best of the situation take hold, snapping back at him in frustration, it would have brought both of us in worse moods. I smiled my way through it, and looked at my father. He smiled back, and I noticed they were in his shirt pocket. I prompted him to look in his pocket, allowing him to search and find them on his own, and he was pleased to know they were there as well.

Learning to adjust to simple inconveniences with a smile, allows you to manipulate caregiving situations to your advantage. It keeps you positive rather than piling the simple frustrations till you can’t take it anymore.