“I Am So Tired Of Being A Caregiver” – How To Manage Burnout

Many caregivers struggle with burnout. Whether you’re a family caregiver for an aging parent, provide care for a loved one, or are a professional caregiver working in home care, caregiving duties can take their toll over time. 

You may find yourself thinking, “I am so tired of being a caregiver.” It’s easy to feel guilty about these thoughts, but you’re not alone. Many caregivers have experienced these thoughts at some point in their journey. At Trualta, we’re here to help you boost your caregiving skills and connect with other caregivers like you. Check if you have free access.

In this article, we’ll review:

• What caregiver burnout is
• Signs that you might be burned out
• Strategies for managing burnout

How To Tell If You’re Experiencing Burnout

Caregiver burnout is when a person experiences physical, mental, and emotional exhaustion as a result of managing care for another person. For some people, it can be hard to know when burnout is happening. Common symptoms of caregiver burnout look similar to depression or stress. 

Caregivers may experience:

• Increased worry, anxiety, or feelings of sadness.
• Fatigue or physical exhaustion.
• Headaches.
• Forgetfulness or difficulty concentrating.
• Feeling guilty.
• Mood changes like frustration, impatience, irritability, or anger.
• Pain.
• Feeling emotionally burned out, hopeless, or helpless.
• Loss of interest in previously enjoyed activities.
• Changes in sleep patterns.
• Losing or gaining weight, or changes in appetite. 
• Getting sick more frequently.
• Isolating or withdrawing from friends, family, or social activities.

Caregiver burnout can happen for several possible reasons. Some may include:

• Managing too many caregiving responsibilities. You may be managing care tasks like your loved one’s schedule, health appointments, daily activities, and personal care. When trying to balance these with your own responsibilities, caregiver stress is inevitable. 
• Not having enough resources or help. You may not know what services are available in your area, or be struggling with the financial aspects of caregiving. Some caregivers struggle to manage care on their own, but feel like a burden if they ask for help.
• Feeling like you’re the only one who can perform a certain caregiving task. You may have high expectations for the way it’s done, or your loved one may request that you do it.
• Not seeking support from others. You may feel like you “should” be able to handle the tough feelings by yourself, or that others won’t understand how you feel. Some caregivers may not live close to friends, family, or other supports to lean on.

5 Ways To Manage Burnout

If burnout becomes severe enough, a caregiver may feel like they’re losing themselves or that they have nothing left to give. Chronic stress, exhaustion, and burnout can cause health problems over time. It’s important to recognize the signs in yourself and take action. Use these tips below to help you navigate your caregiver burnout recovery journey.

1. Identify Stressors

Figuring out the source of your stress can be a helpful first step in reducing burnout from caregiving. Start by listing your caregiving activities and determining which ones cause you the most stress. You can use a scale of 1 (lowest stress) to 5 (highest stress). 

Highlight the caregiving tasks that ranked the highest and use the following tips to address these. While some things may be out of your control, like stressful medical appointments, you may find that there are ways to make these tasks easier.

2. Relax Your Expectations 

It’s easy to fall into the trap of perfectionism, especially when you care so much about your loved one. With each stressful care task, try to identify what beliefs or thoughts you have associated with it. 

For example, do you tell yourself that:

• Nobody else can do this task? 
• You’re a bad caregiver if you don’t do this task every day? 

If the task doesn’t directly impact your care recipient’s health or safety, like cleaning wounds or taking medications at a certain time, you may be able to relax your expectations. 

3. Delegate & Outsource

Part of relaxing your expectations is knowing you can ask others for help. Delegating caregiving tasks to a trusted family member or professional can help lighten your load. 

Ask yourself:

• Can I delegate this caregiving task to someone else? For example, a family member or professional caregiver. 
• Are there services I can use to help me? For example, meal delivery services or respite care.
• Are there resources I can go to find more information? For example, the doctor’s office, your local Area Agency on Aging, or Trualta. 

4. Incorporate Rest & Rejuvenation

Rest involves taking time away from caregiving tasks and doing things for yourself. It can look different to every person. It might be a short nap, watching an episode of a favorite show, or taking a weekend trip. 

A great way to ensure you incorporate rest is by planning for it. For example:

• Dedicating time in your daily schedule every day for rest and caring for your own needs.
• Planning activities to do while your care recipient receives respite care.
• Organizing a vacation out of town.

5. Seek Social Support

It’s important to lean on others when you’re feeling stressed. Whether you’re looking for specific help or simply want to feel heard, you can try:

• Joining a caregiver support group. 
• Seeking professional help from a therapist, counsellor, or other mental health professional.
• Calling a family member on the phone.
• Meeting a friend for coffee. 

Supporting a care recipient can take its toll on your mental health and well-being. For more strategies and tips for managing caregiver burnout, check if you have free access to Trualta. No matter your care situation, we’re here to help. 

References

1. Cleveland Clinic (2023, August 16). Caregiver burnout. 
2. Mayo Clinic (2023, August 9). Caregiver stress: Tips for taking care of yourself. 
3. Teva Canada (2021). Caregiver self-assessment.