I read an interesting article on the Caregiver Space this week, which has led me to think a lot about taking care of myself and why I don’t. The article was called “6 Reasons Why Caregivers Don’t Self-Care (the way you’re telling us to)” http://www.thecaregiverspace.org/blog/6-reasons-caregivers-dont-self-care-way-youre-telling-us/ It got right to the heart of why; at least for that person. Of course, some of her reasons were not the same as some of mine, but many were similar.
Here’s my version of her same theme:
1. Take a walk – As I’ve mentioned, I work from home, and I go into the office one day a week (sometimes more). On those days, I usually have a lot of meetings to attend. My office is about eight blocks from where those meetings usually occur, so I walk there, although I could wait on a transportation service that comes around regularly. I walk through because I never get outside except to walk a short distance to my mailbox. I enjoy the outdoors, but if I go outside for any time, I have to set up the baby monitor and constantly clean up to go back into the house to address Lynn’s needs. Therefore, I do not get into a major “dirty” project often. Furthermore, I cannot walk far from my house since the baby monitor does not project that far. If I want to go anywhere for more than 30 minutes, the concern is that he will need to be cathed and have an accident if I can’t get to him promptly. Therefore, I do not go for walks.
2. Use a treadmill – I have a very nice treadmill in one of our rooms that Lynn used before his balance got bad. I had every intention to use it again because I realized as I walked up the hill to those meetings I mentioned above that I became quite winded. So, I had my stepson clear me a path to the treadmill…I have not gotten on it yet. I’ve realized that using the treadmill requires prep time, cool down time, and dedicated time to walk. Timing the ability to do that requires coordination of activities with Lynn’s bladder and other needs. Also, I work seven days a week to keep up with my office work since I have so many interruptions during the week. Therefore, if I’m not doing necessary house things like cooking and cleaning or necessary Lynn things, I’m working and do not have a spare 30 minutes in there anywhere.
3. Soak a hot bath – When you have so many things to do quickly, relaxing in a hot bath does not seem to be a priority. For me, I jump in the shower, maybe take a few extra seconds to enjoy the heat on my muscles, but then it’s back out. I shower with the door to the bathroom open so I can hear him if he needs something right away. My first stop (often before he fully dries) is to check on him; often, he calls for attention before I can do that.
4. Hire help – yeah, right. Most people assume caregiver professional help is paid for by insurance. Wrong! It’s not covered by insurance, and it’s not cheap. Plus, you have to orient whoever comes over to his “routine,” you need to be vigilant that they are performing their duties as specified. I would love to have paid help, but I already have so much debt related to buying the things he needs to feel better that I have no extra income.
5. Help from family and friends – we are blessed to have many loving family and friends who help us. I truly don’t know what I would do without them. One such angel just left my house after cutting the grass, weed-eating, and cleaning up leaves. All this he does without being asked. He shows up, does the work, and leaves without a word. He didn’t even come into the house today because he might have shingles and didn’t want to expose us. See what an angel he is? We have many such angels in our lives, and their love and assistance help me manage all the chores and care needs that take me away from being available to Lynn. I truly don’t know how those of you who do not have this support make it.
6. Get plenty of sleep – LOL. How I wish that was possible. On average, I get 5-6 hours a night–occasionally less (usually when I have to go to work), rarely more (maybe on a weekend if we don’t have someone coming over to help us with something). I usually get to bed between 2 and 3 a.m. I get up most days between 8 and 9; however, I usually am up twice during the night with caregiver duties, so I’m always sleepy and tired. I survive on caffeine – either in pill form or coffee. I can’t always drink the coffee I need due to stomach irritation, but I’ve found that caffeine pills help. I try to limit using them until I have to drive, but I am honestly dangerous on the road, often without them. I get so sleepy driving that I fear I’ll have an accident. There are times every day around 4 pm. that I truly cannot keep my eyes open, and they shut on their own. If I’m driving home from work at that time, after 10 minutes on the road, I catch myself nodding off, so I have to stop for coffee or something to eat if I don’t use the pills. Yeah, I know I shouldn’t, but when you weigh car accidents vs. the effects of caffeine over time, caffeine wins.
7. Keep your weight under control – See #6. I eat to stay awake, to give me the energy to go on. I eat whatever I can eat cold and fast. I don’t have time to cook for myself because my cooking time is devoted to making Lynn’s special meals. If I eat his stuff, I have to spend more time in the kitchen, which means I have less time for my job and need to work more on the weekend to make up for the time. So I eat already prepared things. Most are high in calories, unfortunately. Okay, I admit, that’s also an excuse. It’s one of the ways I pamper myself, and admit I use it as self-indulgence. So…come on stretch pants.
Since I’ve started writing this blog, I’ve been interrupted three times and pulled away at least 15-30 minutes each time. That’s why I can’t do anything for myself. That’s my real “why”. Self-care takes time, and time is not something a caregiver has. So I do a little snacking, listen to an audiobook, and catch a 5-minute snooze to keep going and call that self-care, Donna style.
Related articles
- The CareGiver Partnership: 10 Things You Should Say to a Family Caregiver (prweb.com)
- 10 Caregiving Tips for Caregiver Awareness Month (pickyourpain.org)
- Are Caregivers Healthier? (workers-compensation.blogspot.com)
- Who Will Care for the Caregivers | by Linda Brendle (lifeaftercaregiving.wordpress.com)
