Coping Strategies to Maintain Emotional Health
If you’re struggling with any of these emotions, consider reaching out to a trusted friend, support group, or professional counselor. You deserve care, too.
Explore some of these coping strategies that can be useful across various heavy feelings:
- Take time for yourself and make sure that you get enough sleep, eat healthy meals, and relax.
- Ask for and accept help from friends, family, or respite care services to provide relief from constant caregiving.
- If you feel like you are in a crisis, call or text 988 – the suicide and crisis lifeline – for help.
- Avoiding negative coping mechanisms, such as excessive alcohol, overeating, or withdrawing from loved ones to prevent further emotional distress.
- Talk to your healthcare provider when these feelings or symptoms become overwhelming and ask for necessary medical or psychological support.
- Spend time with family and friends, doing things you enjoy for an emotional boost.
- Make a habit out of reach out to family and friends throughout the week, it can go a long way.
Additional Resources
National Mental Health Hotline
If you are experiencing mental health challenges or crises, call the National Mental Health Hotline (1-866-903-3787) for confidential support staffed by trained individuals who can connect you to a local grief counseling or other needed services.
Types of Emotions and Resources to Help Navigate them
Caregiving is hard, and it’s normal to feel frustrated, resentful, or even angry at times. You might feel like you’re doing everything alone, get irritated over small things, or snap at the person you are caring for and feel guilty afterward. These feelings often come from exhaustion, feeling unappreciated, or dealing with difficult behaviors. When stress builds up, it’s harder to stay patient. Recognizing these emotions and finding ways to manage them can help you feel more in control. Keeping healthy channels of communication open with the person you are caring for can also decrease the frustration or anger you are feeling.
Additional Resources:
Grief isn’t just about losing a loved one—it can also come from watching their health decline or thinking about what life used to be like. You might regret past decisions, wish you had more time, or struggle to accept what’s happening. These feelings are natural, and it’s okay to grieve. Letting yourself process these emotions—without guilt—can help you find peace along the way. Allowing yourself to grieve through the array of conflicting emotions that happen when someone you love dies. All are a normal part of caregiving and experiencing loss.
Additional Resources:
No matter how much you do, it may never feel like enough. You might feel guilty for wanting a break or for feeling frustrated with the person you are caring for. At the same time, caregiving can make you lose sight of yourself—your own dreams and interests may feel like they don’t matter anymore. You may feel that the person you are caring for is emotionally pressuring you not to “abandon” them. You may even find yourself saying “we” instead of “I” when talking about your life. If you feel like caregiving has taken over your life, it’s important to reconnect with yourself and the things that you enjoy.
Additional Resources:
University of Kentucky: How to avoid losing your own identity when you are a caregiver
Being a caregiver can feel lonely, even when you’re surrounded by people. You might miss out on social events, feel like no one understands what you’re going through, or lose touch with friends. Over time, your world can start to feel smaller and smaller. Even if you don’t think isolation is affecting you, it can take a toll on your well-being, making it harder to focus on work, family, and other responsibilities. Staying connected to others – even in small ways – can help.
Additional Resources:
The endless to-do list can make you feel like you’re drowning. Caregivers face many challenges. They may deal with illnesses, their children’s illnesses, employment, and transportation problems. They have their own social lives, hobbies, and interests. These factors also create ongoing challenges in managing daily life. Caregivers often don’t get enough sleep, are always making decisions, and take on too much without enough support. Over time, this can lead to burnout, where even simple tasks feel impossible. You might feel drained, irritable, or like you’re running on empty. If you’re constantly exhausted, it’s a sign that you need to take a break—before burnout takes over.
Additional Resources:
It’s hard to watch someone you love struggle, especially when you’re doing everything you can to help. You may feel emotionally drained, lose interest in things you used to enjoy, or feel hopeless about the future. It can be even harder if you feel unappreciated for all the effort you put in. Many caregivers don’t realize they’re depressed because it doesn’t always feel like sadness -- it can show up as feeling exhausted, irritated, unmotivated, or disconnected from others. If you’re struggling, know that you’re not alone, and help is available.
Additional Resources:
Feeling overwhelmed is normal when you're juggling caregiving, work, and personal life. You might constantly worry about the health of the person I am caring for, feel like there’s always another crisis around the corner, or struggle to keep up with medical tasks and costs. It’s exhausting to always be “on.” You may find yourself worrying too much, feeling tired all the time, struggling to sleep, or having trouble focusing. Stress can also show up as headaches, muscle tension, or a racing heart. If you’re feeling stretched too thin, it’s important to take a step back and find ways to care for yourself too.