iSavta | 21.03.2021
Caregiving can make you feel a plethora of emotions. Whether you become a caregiver by choice or by circumstances, it is only normal to experience a rush of feelings, positive and negative alike.
Below are some of the greatest emotional struggles that caregivers go through that also happen to be a bit difficult to admit sometimes.
- Tiredness
When was the last time you enjoyed full 8 hours of sleep? If you are like most caregivers, chances are your sleep is usually set aside and instead, you just get a few minutes of rest after your patient has gone to bed. Your sleep might also get disturbed throughout the night if your patient needs to go to the bathroom. If you are always deprived of sleep, you end up feeling tired. This tiredness can then creep into other parts of your life, making matters worse for you and the people around you.
- Resentment
If you find yourself in a situation that wasn’t your choice, it is only common to feel resentful and negative. Even the smallest things can turn into bigger and more serious issues if it seems like your hard work is unacknowledged and unappreciated, whether by your patient or their families. And if it is your responsibility to do everything on your own, this resentment only grows by the day.
- Guilt
Guilt is that feeling whenever you do something wrong. There are many forms of guilt that you can experience as a caregiver. You might be guilty because of your feeling of wanting this to end. You might also be guilty over being irritated with your patient too much.
There is also that guilt of not liking your patient at times. Guilt may also happen if you don’t do enough for your patient or you don’t do a good enough job as the caregiver. And if an accident happens or something else, you also feel guilty because you think it was your fault that it happened in the first place.
Of course, guilt also happens every time the caregiver thinks of their personal needs and they believe that they are being selfish, particularly when they want to go out for lunch or watch a movie.
- Anger
Can you remember the last time when you just snapped while caregiving? Did you ever feel like you were on your last nerve? Frustration and anger are normal emotions you feel if you are around someone who needs constant help and but doesn’t accept help at all. Things tend to be more difficult when caring for a dementia patient since the receiver can be combative and irrational. You cannot simply control your anger all the time and it can just come out.
- Loneliness
You become more isolated if you have been a caregiver for so long. Since you cannot talk to anyone else aside from your patient alone, it is all too easy to lose a sense of yourself. Your friends no longer call you because you are always unavailable and you hesitate to call them since they are tired of listening to your caregiving woes.
At the end of the day, no matter what kind of emotions you might be feeling, don’t forget that you are also important as a person. Every emotion you have, bad or good, is allowed, important, and understandably valid.
