Caregiving Anxiety & Grieving The Loss of YOUR Identity
Are you a caregiver? Are you a child caring for an elderly parent? Are you are parent caring for a child who is ill, has special needs? Are you a caregiver for a child and also an elderly parent and sandwiched” in the middle trying to navigate your own health and needs? As reported on caregiver.org, “A caregiver—sometimes called an informal caregiver—is an unpaid individual (for example, a spouse, partner, family member, friend, or neighbor) involved in assisting others with activities of daily living and/or medical tasks. Formal caregivers are paid care providers providing care in one’s home or in a care setting (day care, residential facility, long- term care facility). For the purposes of the present fact sheet, displayed statistics generally refer to caregivers of adults.”
Whether you are a paid caregiver or an informal caregiver, all of these situations and more involve grief and loss such as a loss of life as was expected (Ex. #1 “I should be enjoying my retirement years with my husband instead of caring for my ailing mother/child/friend/sibling). One can also grieve the loss of time for yourself and loss of individual identity. Caregiving also involves an enormous amount of stress and anxiety which can lead to family relationship conflicts, lack of self-care, depression and difficulty functioning in daily life (work and/or home), If you can identify with any or all of these examples you may be suffering from grief and loss, depression and/or anxiety. In my 20 years of experience as a LCSW practitioner I have helped many caregivers balance the stressful reality of caregiving and self- care to. If you are experiencing sadness, fatigue, feelings of being overwhelmed and don’t know where to go, I can help. If you feel lost and your only identity is someone’s caregiver, please reach out to me. I have guided many caregivers in difficult situations manage the stress and anxiety that comes with the thank-less task of caregiving.
Let’s connect so I can help you begin your journey toward relief.
