When you need help with caregiving tasks, do you feel as if you’re a failure?
If you do, you’re not alone at all. Lots of caregivers wind up feeling as if they’ve disappointed themselves and others in their lives if they’ve had to ask for help. The key is going to be in how you talk yourself through these feelings to get to the other side.
Think about All the Times You’ve Needed Help
In all of your life, have you ever needed help before? Think about some of those times. Chances are that you didn’t feel as if you had failed during those experiences. There’s something about being a caregiver that makes people feel as if they should suddenly have super-human capabilities that allow them to do all the things, all the time.
What Other Responsibilities Do You Have?
You probably do a lot more than just what you do as a caregiver, too. You probably have a job, a family, a pet, or any number of other responsibilities. Those don’t just go away when you take over as a caregiver for someone that you love. Those responsibilities are still there, demanding your attention. Having help means that you’re better able to juggle those responsibilities.
You’re a Person and You Have Ranges of Needs
Beyond your responsibilities to other entities, you also have needs of your own. If you’re not ensuring that you’re eating well, sleeping, and everything else that keeps you going, you’re not going to be able to keep going. You have to figure out the best and most expedient way to help you to meet all of the obligations you’ve taken on, especially the ones to yourself.
Talk it through with an Expert
Very often talking things through with a therapist who understands caregiving and the demands of being a caregiver can be very helpful. They’ve got techniques and tools that they can share with you to help you to work through the emotions of asking for and accepting help. This doesn’t magically make those feelings go away, but you can find it much easier to manage them.
Needing help as a caregiver, on any level and with any type of task, never means that you’re a failure. It means that you’re a person and that you’re cognizant of what you need in a given situation. These are actually valuable tools to have as a caregiver.