Description:

Many caregivers do not think about their own care but do not realize why and how to care for themselves when they are also giving care to their loved ones. This tool provides you a step by step plan to remove the barriers that are preventing you from taking care of yourself.

Tasks:

Grab a paper and a pen or print out this sheet*. For the following questions, answer with “yes”, “no”, or “sometimes”. This will help you to identify the things that are holding you back from taking care of yourself.

• I feel guilty taking care of myself when I should be taking care of my parents/loved ones in need.

• I have trouble asking people for help.

• I feel like I have to prove that I am worthy of my loved one’s affection.

• I am responsible for my parents’ or loved ones’ own health.

• If I don’t do it, no one will.

Sometimes misconceptions can increase the stress too. Answer yes or no to if you have the following most commonly expressed misconceptions.

• I am responsible for my loved one's health.

• If I don't do it, no one else will.

• If I do it right, I will get the love, attention, and respect I deserve.

• Our family always takes care of our own

• I promised my father I would always take care of my mother/father/loved one

For each yes you answered, there are easy readings to help you remove these barriers. See the resources section.

• You are not alone! Use our discussion panel to share ways on how you broke barriers to your own self-care or your goals on how to do so.

• There are different attitudes and beliefs that caregivers have but the most common ones involve pushing self needs aside in order to care for loved ones. It is crucial to remember that in order to care for others you must take care of yourself first. Below are other common caregiving misconceptions. As you did previously, answer yes or no if you have ever expressed the same feelings.