STRESS MANAGEMENT TECHNIQUES FOR FAMILY CAREGIVERS Zanda Hilger, LPC Alzheimer s Association Spring Symposium March 29, 2017
Withdrawal from friends and family Loss of interest in activities previously enjoyed Feeling blue, irritable, hopeless, and helpless Changes in appetite, weight, or both Changes in sleep patterns Getting sick more often Feelings of wanting to hurt yourself or the person for whom you are caring Emotional and physical exhaustion Excessive use of alcohol and/or sleep medications Irritability Similar to the symptoms of stress and depression Symptoms of Caregiver Burnout
Compassion Fatigue A type of stress caused by caring for others. Although burnout develops over time, compassion fatigue may come on suddenly. In his article Burnout and Compassion Fatigue: Watch for these Signs, psychotherapist Dennis Portnoy classifies compassion fatigue as a form of burnout.
Symptoms of compassion fatigue include: Less ability to function More stress than usual Caregiver feels traumatized Working harder, getting less done Irritability Feeling bored More sickness, aches, and pains
Keys to Staying Healthy What are the keys to staying healthy?
Keys to Staying Healthy Eat well Make sleep a priority Do something physical every day Prevent back injury Get routine and preventive health care Practice a spiritual or mental life Practice stress management techniques
STRESS MANAGEMENT AND RELIEF TECHNIQUES
1. Breathing Three deep breaths, several times a day, especially when feeling over-stressed: Breath from the diaphragm up, trying not to move your chest.
2. Stretches (handout) CAUTION: only use these exercises as approved by a health care professional and to tolerance. Three deep breaths before and after the series of exercises below. Most people carry their stress in their neck, shoulders, and back. Repeat these exercises 3 or more times several times a day. Be prepared for the crackles in your joints. See the handout
Definitions from Merriam Webster online Mindfulness The quality or state of being mindful The practice of maintaining a nonjudgmental state of heightened or complete awareness of one's thoughts, emotions, or experiences on a moment-to-moment basis; also: such a state of awareness Meditate To engage in contemplation or reflection He meditated long and hard before announcing his decision. To engage in mental exercise (as concentration on one's breathing or repetition of a mantra) for the purpose of reaching a heightened level of spiritual awareness To focus one's thoughts on: reflect on or ponder over He was meditating his past achievements.
Definitions Guided Imagery Any of various techniques (as a series of verbal suggestions) used to guide another person or oneself in imagining sensations and especially in visualizing an image in the mind to bring about a desired physical response (as a reduction in stress, anxiety, or pain)
Mindfulness 57,900,000 hits on Google search Mindfulness is the current buzzword and becoming increasingly popular. Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn did the earliest work on mindfulness. His Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program was started at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center in 1979; it is now offered as a complementary therapy in hundreds of health care organizations around the world. Mindfulness is widely researched and proven to have significant benefits but many of the techniques are centuries old. For example, meditation is a form of mindfulness and is often confused with it. Benefits: boosts immunity; reduces stress, anxiety and depression; improves memory and mental focus; reduces emotional reactivity; and deepens compassion and altruism.
Mindfulness 3. Basic Mindfulness Exercise 4. Five Senses
5. Guided Imagery
Many Other Options 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. Refer to Handout Family Caregiver Stress Management Tips Journaling Adult coloring books, drawing, sketching Crochet, knitting, sewing Woodworking Vision Boards Online games card, board and video Museums
Many Other Options 14. Shopping 15. Manicures and pedicures 16. Foot and full body massages 17. Exercise - Tai Chi, Yoga classes, gym, or golf 18. Volunteer work 19. Other hobbies
Other ideas What do YOU already do? Or always wanted to do Other ideas?
Now what are you going to do with what we have talked about today?