By CancerCare staff — 2021
When you are caring for a loved one with a long-term illness, caregiving becomes a marathon rather than a sprint.
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With each diagnosis, knowing her life hung in the balance, she was “stunned, then anguished” and astonished by “how much energy it takes to get from the bad news to actually starting on the return path to health.”
Adjusting your attitude is easier than you think.
An attitude of heightened awareness and focused attention can have great benefits.
You can ease your stress with a few simple techniques that don’t take a lot of time. Try these methods to ratchet down the tension.
If you know someone with PTSD, there are ways you can help. In fact, you can be very beneficial to their recovery, but only if you also care for yourself, too.
Whether you feel guilty for taking time out for yourself, or if you just feel like you don’t have the time to take, consider this perspective: If you don’t take care of yourself, you won’t have anything left to give.
Light exercise, breathing techniques, even smiling can improve overall wellness
So many of the little rituals I have each day—like my makeup or skincare routine—do help soothe and/or rejuvenate me. For me, any type of solo practiced routine is good. But I’ve learned that self-care does not, and cannot, sustain me. And I believe that this may be the case for many of you.
Stressing the body makes you stronger—as long as you have time to rest and recover.
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It’s the rare person who doesn’t need help coping with the stress, fatigue, and frustrations that chronic fatigue syndrome can bring. As a caregiver, you’ll need to learn all you can about chronic fatigue support.