Caregivers give so much of themselves when caring for a family member or friend that they often neglect their own physical, mental, and emotional health. In an effort to provide the best care possible for your senior loved one, you may be sacrificing your own well being. It is difficult for a caregiver to recognize when they are on the verge of depression, so they do not describe themselves as being depressed. You may attribute the change in your emotional health to lack of sleep, fatigue, overwork, or family situations, but not depression. It is a known fact that caregivers do get depressed, but seldom seek help. Philadelphia Home Care has some tips for the caregivers; What is Depression? Being an extremely complex disorder, depression has many contributing factors that include hormone levels, genetic characteristics, certain medications, environmental triggers, emotional effects of a illness or grief, or being with someone who has depression, just to name a few. Caregivers can often see these symptoms in others, but not in themselves. You make a conscious effort to hide any unusual thoughts and behaviors that may be considered abnormal for you in order to continue care for your loved one. Depression is real in caregivers. You hold a lot inside until it soon boils over, and then you cannot give the best care to your senior loved one. How Caregivers Care Prevent Depression? Caregivers can prevent the onset of depression, and the negative feelings that come with it. You can avoid having negative feelings that become so intense that they leave you drained of all your energy, irritable toward others, and tearful. In order to be preventative about depression, you must first recognize changes that could be indicative of the disorder. These could include changes in eating habits, loss of interest in people and activities, feeling numb, easily agitated, trouble focusing, neglecting physical well being, and feeling tired most of the time. These are just a few indicators that you are depressed. Caregivers spend the majority of their time giving care to a senior loved one, and not caring for themselves. In an effort to avoid depression, you should take some time to spend on you. Take a much needed break. Get assistance from family members, or put in for a mini vacation. Spend some time walking in the park, or go to the mall just to window shop. When you are feeling overwhelmed, talk to family members about taking turns spending time with your senior loved one while you make time for doctor appointments, medical exams and tests, and getting some physical activity by exercising, or going to the YMCA. Final Word As per Home Care Philadelphia experts, taking care of your physical, emotional, mental, and social needs is the best way to avoid becoming depressed. Your life needs an equal balance between caregiver duties, and your personal well being. You cannot be successful at one while neglecting the other. The quality of your life depends on how well you take care of you. You can maintain a good balanced order by soliciting assistance from other family members, or requesting some much needed time off from your agency.
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