10 Ways to Avoid Caregiver Burnout

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These 10 ways to avoid caregiver burnout are simple and practical. A caregiver is defined as a person who provides direct care (as for children, older adults, or the chronically ill). A caregiver may help with the medical, personal, spiritual, mental and emotional needs of others. Being a caregiver is extremely rewarding and at the same time can be exhausting.

Caregiving limits your social interaction, cuts into your personal time, creates financial burdens and can be mentally draining. Per Healthline,

“Caretaker burnout occurs when the stress and burden from these negative effects become overwhelming, negatively affecting your life and health”.

Healthline.com

The caregiver may feel alone, underappreciated and unsupported.

Let’s avoid that, shall we? As a nurse and mother to two young children, I certainly define myself as a caregiver. If I didn’t take the steps outlined below, I would probably fall prey to burnout rather quickly.

10 Ways to Avoid Caregiver Burnout

1. Recognize Burnout

Before we can even avoid burnout, we have to realize when we are approaching the abyss. Here are the general warning signs and symptoms for caregiver burnout (Healthline, 2018):

• anxiety
• avoiding people
• depression
• exhaustion
• feeling you’re losing control of your life
• irritability
• lack of energy
• losing interest in the things you like to do
• neglecting your needs and health

You may feel more aches and pains, headaches, change in appetite, trouble sleeping, and a weak immune system leading to more infections (Healthline, 2018). Of course, there are other medical conditions which may mirror some these symptoms. Consult with your medial provider to help you distinguish between a medical condition and burnout.

2. Put Down Your Phone

It’s easy to get into the habit of picking up your phone when you are stressed to scroll through social media. I urge you to hold off. Logging on and seeing other people’s negativity or inflated versions of themselves only causes you unneeded emotional trauma. This will cause you to burnout emotionally.

Instead of scrolling you could read a book, cook a healthy meal from scratch, sit in meditation, do some gardening, exercise or play a family game. Do not get sucked into the phone every time you need a break from caregiving.

If you need help and think you may be addicted to your phone, this article is super informative on how to take a social media detox.

3. Avoid Junk Food

Eating a well-balanced diet is one great way to stay healthy so you can avoid crashing at the end of the day. Studies have found that people who ate a poor quality diet- one high in processed meat, chocolates, sweet desserts, fried food, refined cereals and high-fat dairy products- were more likely to report symptoms of depression (Mayo Clinic, 2018).

Sugar is a good place to start. When our glucose levels are kept at a stable range, we function at our best. Start with eating less processed foods that are loaded with sugar. Another way to reduce sugar is to eliminate sugar-sweetened beverages such as soda, sports drinks and juice.

For optimal health, try to eat a balanced diet including lots of fresh veggies, fruits, lean meat, fish, whole grains and water to drink. Try to cook most of your meals at home and avoid eating fast food.

Here are a few articles on healthy eating to get you started:

10 Foods I Don’t Buy to Cut Costs and Stay Healthy

5 Drinks I Don’t Buy For My Home

5 Tips to Eat More Whole Foods

4. Go Outside

If you get a break from caregiving, even for 10 minutes, take it outside. Spending time in the outdoors has been associated with significantly lower depression, less perceived stress and enhanced mental well-being. 

Getting out in nature (even the backyard counts), seems to get us out of our heads and into a calm state. Caregivers are usually working tirelessly to care for others, and our brains are always on overdrive. Give your mind a break by focusing on the steady, peaceful presence of nature.

If you have kids that you struggle to get outside, this article may help get them off the devices and into nature.

Additionally, check out this great read on Forest Bathing and this one on ways to spend more time in nature.

5. Find an Exercise Routine

It’s so important to include regular exercise in your weekly routine to keep your body and mind healthy. Caregivers often find themselves indoors caring for others and getting to the gym can be difficult. Try these simple exercises that can be done at home or outside.

If you get some time to yourself, use it to do some activities at home such as yoga or Pilates via a free YouTube channel. You can also try body weight exercises that require no equipment such as push-ups, squats or lunges.

Find a couple workouts that you like to do and schedule them into your weekly routine. I do 20-30 minutes of yoga in the morning before my kids wake up. I find a free yoga channel and relax in peaceful quiet before my littles wake up and I am in caregiver mode.

6. Get Your ZZZs

To avoid caregiver burnout one of the best things we can do is get enough sleep. One of the biggest health issues I see as a nurse, is lack of sleep in my patients and the health consequences that follow. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a third of US adults report that they usually get less than the recommended amount of sleep (which is 7-9 hours per night).

Caregivers are especially at risk for sleep deprivation due to the fact that sometimes our patient’s (ahem… babies) sleep-wake cycle is opposite of ours. If you have help at home or a good support group, try to utilize them so that you can rest. If you have trouble falling asleep, this article on natural ways to fall asleep is just what the nurse ordered.

I like to put on a guided meditation app at night to wind down. Headspace is a good choice and so is the Calm app.

7. Declutter Like a Mother

Why would decluttering your house prevent caregiver burnout? There are actually so many reasons why a cleaned, organized, decluttered home makes for a happy caregiver. Whether you take care of others in your home or not, that is your sanctuary and a tidy home is a happy home.

Maria, the other half of Literally Simple and self-proclaimed simplifier of all things writes, “You’ll never care about clutter, until you realize how much it affects your focus. It’s therapeutic to clear a space and thus have a clear mind as well.”

Literally Simple is chalk full of resources for decluttering. Here are a few of my favorites that have helped me to clear out the clutter, opening up more time for relaxing:

5 Minimalist Ways to Make Your Home Happier

Optimize Your Home for Ultimate Happiness

How to Organize Kids Toys

The Best Benefit of Owning Less

8. Stay Grateful

It’s easy to feel sorry for yourself when you are stuck caring for others who may not always show you appreciation. However, it is important to not take the little things for granted so that you avoid feeling down.

Gratitude has honestly changed my life these past few years. I went from feeling like nothing ever went my way, to creating a life I was truly proud of. This only happened because I shifted my mindset to one of thankfulness for the abundance around me, even if it wasn’t my ideal situation.

Keep a gratitude journal or workbook if you need help reminding yourself. This is a great way to avoid becoming burnt out. You will see your life in a more positive light, and start to find more things to be grateful for every day.

9. Take Regular Breaks

Take small breaks throughout the day if you are stuck at home taking care of others. If you have kids that nap, utilize that time to do nothing but relax. In order to avoid burnout, you need to remember to take care of yourself as well.

These breaks include eating regular meals when you are feeding others. Avoid standing up and scarfing down a quick bite. Instead, sit down and enjoy the meal together and take your time. A picnic outside if the weather is nice can be a great break for everyone.

If you feel your stress levels rise, try changing the environment for the break: take the kids on a walk outside, go for a drive through the country, ask for help from a loved one and go grab yourself a coffee while you listen to your favorite podcast in the car.

10. Lean on Community

This one is so important and can often be one of the best ways to avoid caregiver burnout. Whenever possible, use the relationships around you for help, support, advice and comradery. If you can’t get outside of the house, utilize technology to your advantage. You can use a virtual facetime app and have regular meet ups with friends or family to stay connected. Don’t forget a good old fashioned phone call to whoever you go to for advice when times are tough.

According to The Blue Zones of Happiness by Dan Buettner, “Having a strong social network and family support system are the two more important traits of the world’s happiest people.”

If you find yourself as introverted as I am, you may need some help when it comes to making connections. This wonderful article on how to make adult friends helped gave me a few helpful tips.

Bonus Tip: Don’t be a Martyr!

Be honest with yourself when you notice some signs that you may be approaching burnout. Ask for help. Utilize your support system and seek help for some caregiving tasks. Can a friend get your groceries so you can avoid bringing the kids to the store? Is there a sibling available to help you with meal prep for your older parent? Can your significant other take over for you to get in a nap or bath?

Are you a nurse or healthcare worker who is fast approaching the end of your rope? Been there and here is what I did. I had to make a promise to myself that I would not work more than three days per week as a nurse… period. It’s too hard on me physically, emotionally and mentally. Is it less money and more budgeting? Yes. However, it keeps me loving my job and coming back to it because I get days off to be home and enjoy my family. I also get to do this blog during my days off, which is a wonderful creative outlet.

Final Thoughts

If you are caring for others all day, there will be good and bad days. Just make sure to utilize some (or all) of the tips outlined above so that your good days outnumber the bad. Prioritize yourself first so that you are healthy enough to take care of those who depend on you.

Never forget why you became a caregiver in the first place. If you are a caregiver by trade or a caregiver by choice (or both like me) remember your “why”.

Additionally, some of you reading this also work from home and are at an increased risk for burnout due to work-life balance, especially if you have kids. Check out this article on how to work from home with young kids for pointers from a professional.

Join the Discussion

Tell us in the comments below: How do you avoid burnout as a caregiver?

Author

Sara Halcumb is a registered nurse, wellness teacher, mother and wife. She lives in the beautiful Pacific Northwest with her husband and two kids. She loves nothing more than spending her days exploring the great outdoors with her family.

Sources:

Moyer, Nancy, M.D. “How to Care for Yourself When You Have Caregiver Burnout.” Healthline, Healthline Media, 26, Nov. 2018, www.healthline.com/health/health-caregiver-burnout#caregiver-stats

Katherine Zeratsky, R.D. “Junk Food Blues: Are Depression and Diet Related?” Mayo Clinic, Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, 10 Feb. 2018, www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/depression/expert-answers/depression-and-diet/faq-20058241

Buettner, Dan. BLUE ZONES OF HAPPINESS: Lessons from the Worlds Happiest People. National Geographic Soc, 2019.

“CDC – Sleep Home Page – Sleep and Sleep Disorders.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 22 Feb. 2018, www.cdc.gov/sleep/index.html.