How Can You Keep Yourself Calm and on Track When Dealing with Your Aging Adult?
January 10, 2018
Calm, peaceful experiences are something that everyone wants, especially when life is demanding enough. But sometimes being a caregiver means that your elderly family member is pushing your buttons and you’re allowing it to happen. Making some small changes can really help a lot.
Practice Calm More Often
The more practice that you have in feeling calmer, the more you can recognize it when you’re in complicated situations. Take the time to notice what you feel like when you’re in a calm, centered mood. Pay attention to your breathing and how your entire body feels. Look for opportunities during the day to consciously seek out calm moments.
Take Care of You
When you’re stressed to the max and you’re not taking care of yourself, calm is going to be really difficult to come by. That’s why taking care of yourself is so important as a caregiver. Hire home care providers to take over now and again and give yourself time to go off by yourself and relearn what calm feels like.
Stop Asking Questions When You’re Really Making Statements
You may not realize it, but how you phrase requests and declarative statements to your aging adult can damage your calm. If you’re consistently asking her questions when you mean to tell her something, that gives your elderly family member an opening that she can use. For example, instead of asking your senior if she’s going to be ready to leave in a few minutes for her appointment, tell her that you’re leaving in five minutes. It’s a subtle difference, but one that can show you big changes.
Don’t Beat Yourself up When You’re Not Calm
You’re human. As such, now and again you’re going to lose your patience. If you beat yourself up for that every time you aren’t calm, you’re not going to experience much in the way of the types of moments you’re seeking. Give yourself a break from trying to be perfect all the time.
Give yourself permission to be human but do what you can to improve interactions between yourself and your aging adult, too.