Managing Holiday Stress As A Caregiver
With Thanksgiving and Christmas right around the corner, the holiday season is officially here! While this is a joyous time of year, it can also be stressful—especially for caregivers. In addition to everyday caregiving tasks, the stress of the holidays can impact your mental well-being. The following tips can help make managing stress as a caregiver a little easier during the holiday season.
Finalize Plans in Advance
Finalizing plans well in advance allows you to be prepared and can ease feelings of stress, especially around holiday celebrations. When it comes to planning holiday get-togethers, arranging for people to be out on vacation, or even just adjusting your person of care’s everyday routine, doing so in advance creates peace of mind. Some tips for planning in advance may be:
- Utilizing a physical planner
- Updating the calendar and reminders on your phone
- Going through your schedule at the start of the month
Organizing transportation and other methods of care is always important to do so in advance—especially around the holidays when people travel out of town and establishments tend to have varying hours. Ensuring arrangements are in place beforehand can ease last-minute planning and reduce stress.
Communicate Needs Beforehand
The holidays bring gatherings, events, and festive activities. Whether you’re attending for yourself or with the person you support, communicating your needs early on can make the experience more enjoyable for everyone. Letting people know necessary accommodations or expectations beforehand can make gatherings more accessible, while also reducing last-minute stressors. If you are feeling overwhelmed or experiencing caregiver burnout, letting your friends and family know ahead of time can give you the support needed to enjoy the holiday without additional pressure.
Find Moments of Grattitude
One of the most important reasons for the season is finding joy and gratitude. While caregiving can be a stressful task at times, it is also one of the most rewarding roles. Find moments to be proud of yourself and acknowledge gratitude. Focusing on joy can help ease your mind during stressful times. A great way to recognize joy and gratitude is through journaling. Try using these simple journal prompts to find moments of gratitude:
- Write down three things you’re thankful for this week
- Explain a rewarding moment you recently experienced while caregiving
- List the person who brought you the most joy this week
- Describe a person you’re grateful for and why
To learn about the benefits of journaling and to discover other prompts, read more here!
Covey Cares
Here at Covey, we’re here to support not only individuals with disabilities, but their families and caregivers as well. We provide information, support, resources, and opportunities to our community. Additionally, we’re proud to offer respite care services. Learn more about our respite care and how we may be able to help during the holiday season.