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When Emotions Get the Best of You
Caregiving brings intense emotions, so learning to self-regulate is important. I thought I always needed to be strong for my father’ s sake. But having emotions is a gift, even when they’ re unpleasant or overwhelming. Let yourself fall apart when you need to, even if there’ s no one but yourself to catch you. Practices like meditation, breathing techniques and yoga help me stay centered.
Josip Markus
Nobody’ s perfect. We all have moments of annoyance or impatience with the people we love. These are normal human reactions when things get hard. Learning how to recover and reconnect after tense moments protects and often deepens a relationship.
When you react in a way that you wish you didn’ t, tell your loved one, sincerely, that you are sorry. Period. No excuses, no explanations. You may feel guilty or bad, which is normal. But beating yourself up doesn’ t help. Give yourself grace, kindness and forgiveness so you can learn from the moment and do better the next time. Turn to Pillar 4: Remember, You’ re Only Human for more.
Everyone gets frustrated from time to time. But if you experience frustration constantly or consistently, you may be burned out; the current care situation may no longer be sustainable, or more support may be needed. Turn to Burnout Is Real— and Preventable for more.
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