Don't Neglect Your Own Care

Overwhelmed with Responsibility
Depression often occurs when a caregiver becomes overwhelmed trying to manage too many responsibilities. Emotions fluctuate from sadness, loss, grief, isolation, anxiety, exhaustion, anger and frustration--and the resulting guilt for having those feelings. Caregivers tend to sacrifice their own careers, neglect healthy family members, ignore their own physical and emotional needs, and postpone their own medical checkups resulting in undiagnosed and sometimes serious ailments.

Oftentimes family members don't even consider themselves "caregivers." Some think if they just toughen-up, they will be able to cope with the heart-wrenching situation. Since most caregivers have always been able to manage stressful situations and solve problems in the past, the perceived failure damages self-esteem and compounds depression.

But who wouldn't be depressed when day-after-day a devoted family caregiver:

• Watches a loved one suffering and declining.
• Worries about money and finances.
• Spends hours and days at doctor appointments and hospitals.
• Thinks about life and death issues and fears that the end is near.
• Hates the world and everyone in it for what has befallen their loved one.
• Wonders how long their caregiving will last and if they will have a normal life again.
• Feels ashamed for not having enough patience, persistence and strength.

Next: Don't go it alone