If you’ve found yourself feeling anger at your senior or even at her situation, you need to know that you’re not alone. Everyone experiences anger at some point and it doesn’t make you awful at caregiving or at being a person.
You Can’t Take Things Personally
When your aging adult is having a bad day or is exhibiting her own anger, you have to remember that it’s not really about you. Sometimes your elderly family member simply needs to lash out at someone that she knows isn’t going to go anywhere. In some cases, such as when your aging adult is dealing with dementia, you are likely dealing with someone who is not looking at reality in the same way you are.
Your Anger Is Valid, But it Doesn’t Help
Part of the problem that caregivers run into is that they guilt themselves because they feel that feeling angry isn’t something that they should experience. For whatever reasons that you’re experiencing feelings of anger, your feeling is valid. There is a reason you’re feeling that way and you don’t need to feel bad or guilty because of your feelings. You do need to remember, though, that letting that anger run loose doesn’t help the situation at all.
Keep Self-care High on Your Priority List
One of the best things that you can do for yourself as a caregiver is to keep self-care on your radar. If you’re taking proper care of yourself, you can much more readily see your feelings, including anger, for what they are and deal with them appropriately. When you’re neglecting yourself, this is so much more difficult to do.
Get Help so That You Can Take Respite Time
Some caregivers keep self-care plans active, but they fail to take time away. One reason that you might experience anger is that you don’t take the time that you need away from being a caregiver. Hiring home care providers allows you to have the respite time that you need while still leaving an experienced person with your aging adult.
When you find yourself feeling angry, make sure that you remind yourself that it’s okay and look for solutions that help both you and your elderly family member.
