Four Ways for Caregivers to De-stress During the Holidays

The holidays are a tough time to get through as a caregiver. To help maintain not only your loved one’s health but also your own, here are four tips to help de-stress during the holidays.

1. Create New Traditions

You may have old holiday traditions going back to when you were young. However, situations may be different now depending on your loved one’s condition. If you can’t partake in old family traditions, don’t stress about it. Instead, think of new traditions to create. Instead of cooking a huge holiday dinner, perhaps you can order out or just prepare one or two dishes. The less time spent cooking is more time you can spend on yourself or with your relatives.

2. Simplify Your Activities

The holidays don’t have to be an extravagant event. You can scale back the number of activities
and still enjoy the spirit of the holiday season. Perhaps you can stick to one or two holiday
activities that you love such as decorating the tree or wrapping presents. Setting limits and
boundaries will help you de-stress in the long run.

3. Keep to a Regular Schedule

The hustle and bustle of holiday planning may leave your loved one feeling confused. To help ease his/her frustration, try to stick to a routine as much as possible. Schedule in time for breaks or trips to the restroom. This way, you can make sure he or she is feeling refreshed and doesn’t have any accidents.

4. Ask for Help

Don’t ever feel ashamed to ask for help! Taking care of a loved one while trying to keep a clean house is very difficult and can lead to even more stress. Simply asking for some assistance with daily chores or errands will help you focus on your loved one and yourself during the holidays.