For caregivers, painful feelings like guilt, frustration, and sadness are your body’s way of saying “slow down.” In this way, guilt can help you improve your mental and emotional health. Feelings of guilt can point to where you hold unrealistic expectations of yourself and the depth of nursing care you can provide. You may believe your own needs are less important than the needs of the person you’re caring for or feel guilty about meeting your individual needs when someone else is suffering so much more. You can learn to manage guilt, so it serves you rather than imprisons you. Here are some valuable tips to help you manage caregiver guilt.

3 Ways to Manage Guilt

1. Acknowledge Guilty Feelings

Providing personal care for a parent or elder is often challenging, and it’s common for caregivers to experience feelings of guilt and attempt to stifle them or hide them from others. Hiding or ignoring feelings of guilt can eat away at your mental health. Intense feelings need to be acknowledged, so you can deal with them openly. Admit that you do feel guilty and explore the reasons why, so you can resolve the issue and move on.

2. Care for Yourself

Caregivers often put their own needs and desires aside. Doing so can create feelings of guilt because you know you’re neglecting yourself, friends, and healthy family members. On the other hand, you may feel guilty for taking time away from your charge, afraid of missing a crucial moment, or worried a crisis might occur in your absence. Its more difficult to provide quality care for someone else if your own needs are unmet. Schedule downtime to do something you enjoy, and make sure you get plenty of rest.

3. Show Yourself Compassion

Taking responsibility for another person’s well-being is challenging and there may be times when you feel as if you are not providing the highest quality care. When you feel guilty for getting frustrated or falling short of expectations, give yourself permission to feel the way you do, and your guilt may soon subside.

Abbington Assisted Living is proud to serve seniors throughout Columbus, Pickerington, Powell, Chillicothe, and Coshocton, OH. Abbington senior living communities are one-story buildings designed with comfort and security in mind, offering comprehensive nursing care services in a compassionate, comfortable, and cost-effective manner. Please visit our website or call us directly at (614) 451-4575 in Columbus, (614) 577-0822 in Pickerington, (614) 789-9868 in Powell, (740) 773-4630 in Chillicothe, or (740) 623-4600 in Coshocton.