Articles

Signs You Need a Break

05/12/2016

It is common knowledge that people who work in the care industry - whether it be caring for a relative, doing hourly or day care, or doing live in care – are constantly overworked and often face carer burnout. The work is often exhausting and the hours are always long and tedious.

Sometimes this can lead to carers becoming depressed and wondering where their own lives have gone. As a live in carer, this is a very common problem, unfortunately. Many carers do long periods of time with one client before taking a short break. It is important that as carers, we are aware that working too long without a break can lead to a certain amount of resentment, stress, and anger about the situations we find ourselves in. These feelings are always detrimental to both carers and clients, and so it is important that we realise when we are burning out, and take steps (no matter how small) to stop the burnout.

 

Some common signs that you need a break are:

1. Being more susceptible to colds and infections than you normally are.
2. Dark rings under the eyes
3. Short temper
4. Lack of concentration
5. Eyes welling up easily
6. Overeating
7. Lack of motivation to leave the house

If you can recognise some of these, and you realize that they are not a normal part of your character, then you should be asking yourself if you are burned out. It may be time to ask for help, or – better still – take a break. Even a short break of a whole day to yourself will help! Talking to the family may be the right thing to do. Often families are sympathetic to the carers needs and will arrange for you to get a full day off. If you can't arrange this, then you should talk to your agency and arrange time off between clients. It is important that you do not try to play the martyr and take on far too much work all by yourself. Remember that for you to take care of someone, you need to be in good health, both physically and mentally. Being too tired is a very dangerous thing as this is when accidents will happen. You should not be afraid to ask the family to take over some of the tasks for a day.

 

Here are some tips to deal with stress:

• Exercise. This is a great stress reliever. It helps to release 'feel good' chemicals and reduce cortisol. Try to get out of the house every day for a walk. Even a short walk in fresh air can do wonders for your mind. It literally does 'blow the cobwebs away'.
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• Read. Escaping into a fantasy world is often a good way to put some distance between yourself and the situation. Let's face it, there is a lot of 'down time' in caring work. We work like mad things for a bit and then have nothing to do for a period of time. Use your time wisely, read a book, knit a scarf, write a letter – you get the picture!
• Watch a comedy! You may be able to do this with your client. Laughing is good!
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• Keep in contact. Remember that there are other carers out there who are just as stressed as you are. Remember you have family and friends. Drop them an email, send a card. Don't lose touch, just because you are living elsewhere.
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• Ask for support! Friends, family, and your agency. Don't be afraid to ask for help!