According to the American Institute of Stress, more than 110 million Americans take medication for stress related causes each week. When the holidays come along, people already predispositioned to stress can find themselves feeling blue and more stressed out than usual. Balancing caregiving and holiday planning can be hard for family caregivers. Here’s some tips to help turn your holiday from stressful to successful!

1. Add a brief note describing the caregiving recipient’s condition to your holiday greeting cards. This can be a non-threatening way to inform distant or uninvolved relatives about the realities of the caregiving situation. If written in a tone that’s not accusatory or guilt-inducing, family members may be more forthcoming with assistance or, at least, have a better understanding of the effort you are putting into providing care.

2. Be clear about your energy level and flexible. Let family members know that your caregiving duties are keeping you very busy. Establish limits on how much you can be involved in holiday participation and hosting duties. If you traditionally are responsible for most of the holiday activities be flexible and to allow another family member to take those over. Also, choose events to attend based on which would be the simplest, least exhausting and most enjoyable for the person for whom you provide care—and for you.

3. Reflect on the rewards. Reflecting on the rewards of caregiving can help maintain your self-esteem. It may feel very rewarding to know that you are fulfilling a vow or promise you have made to the person for whom you provide care. Your caregiving may be an expression of living up to your personal ideals or religious beliefs. You may also be experiencing a great deal of growth as you learn new skills and meet challenges in ways you never imagined possible. Writing and journaling these rewards can help manage stress and keep you focused on the positives associated with caregiving.

4. Share your wish list. Don’t be afraid to ask for help or items you need to care for yourself. Do you need a couple hours to go shopping, or exercise, or relax and watch TV? Maybe some home repairs? Or a luxury item for yourself? If friends and family are unable to take on big responsibilities, they may be free to help you with the smaller ones.

5. Write thank you notes to family members and friends who spent time with your loved one or helped you during the holidays. Emphasize the positive impact their visit or brief time spent with your loved one had on them. This may reinforce positive feelings from their visit and diminish any discomfort they experienced. They may then be more encouraged to visit again or be more supportive of your efforts.

These tips and more can be found at Caregiver.org.

Resources from AGIS.com
Support Services
Staying at Home
Allocating Family Responsibilities

Filed under: Caregiving, Holidays