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| Valerie M. Hollar, Paralegal |
The number of Americans
that are caring for an older loved one is on the rise. According to the Family
Caregiver Alliance, about 34.2 million Americans have provided unpaid care to
an adult age 50 or older in the last 12 months. About 15.7 million adult family
caregivers care for someone who has Alzheimer's disease or dementia. Nearly 75%
of all caregivers are female, around 50 years of age and these caregivers are
spending around 20 hours a week providing care. With numbers like these and
tasks ranging from simple grocery shopping and household chores to complicated
issues dealing with finances and medical care, it is not any surprise that
caregiver burnout is on the rise. Caregiver burnout is defined as a state of
physical, emotional, and mental exhaustion that may show up as signs of
fatigue, stress, anxiety, depression, and a general lack of self-care.
The
questions that come to mind immediately when caring for a caregiver is how do
we treat this burnout state, but also what are some ways we can prevent it. My
yoga teacher training points me straight to the practice of mindfulness and
meditation. I personally found this practice from being a caregiver in a
stressful situation. Mindfulness is the practice of paying attention to the
present moment. For example, if you are feeling a sensation of overwhelming or
a tightness in a part of the body, you may need to find a focus on your breath.
By doing this, you are allowing the body to find a way to help itself.
So,
what does this mean for a caregiver? I know, and I’m sure those reading this
who are caregivers know, that just getting through a day can feel like an
impossible struggle. You are busy, you have more tasks than you feel like you
can complete which lead to being overwhelmed, you’re sometimes angry for having
to be in this situation, you feel a sense of resentment, and it’s just plain
hard. Self-care is important. While it is not always feasible to take a
vacation to get away or to even get a break for yourself, it is possible to
find mindfulness and meditation and use it as respite. Meditation can be done
anywhere. You can literally practice it while sitting next to your loved
one.
Mindfulness
and meditation have numerous benefits. Both can help to bring acceptance to
feelings regarding the changes that are happening with your loved ones.
Meditating on a regular basis calms the mind, which can promote a better sleep
at night. It is something you can do in a short amount of time with big
benefits. It can promote stronger immunity when the body is run down from the
constant hustle and bustle of caring for someone else. Meditation improves
concentration and focus as well as decreasing blood pressure and cholesterol
levels. So not only does it improve the health of the mind, it can also improve
the health of your body!
With
the popularity of meditation on the rise, your smartphone can provide a wealth
of resources when it comes to these types of exercises. Several apps come ready
to guide you through different meditation exercises. Some of my favorites
include Calm, Headspace, and the Insight Timer. Calm offers a variety of
different options with guided and unguided meditations. Headspace is narrated
by a man with a lovely Australian accent and provides options for many types of
meditation for stress, anxiety, confidence, etc. The insight timer app is
perhaps my favorite as it offers guided meditations from many individuals with
different backgrounds, unguided sessions set to sounds that soothe, and
provides podcast type interviews with those that lead the meditations. No
matter what you are looking for, there is a meditation app out there for you!
Take the time to make mindfulness and meditation a part of your care-giving
practice.
Want
to get an idea of what a meditation session is before you try an app? Check out
one of my favorite simple guided meditations below. You can read through this
and practice yourself, or even share with the one you are caring for and
practice together.
First,
find a quiet and comfortable spot. Sitting nice and straight, feet pressing
into the floor, place your hands in your lap, palms up or down, whatever is
comfortable for you. Then, close your eyes or keep a soft gaze. Take a scan of
your body, noticing what you are feeling in your body and what feelings are
circling around in your mind. Start to focus on your breath. Feeling each
inhale and exhale. As you breathe in and out, try to focus on something. Maybe
thinking of a place that you feel safe and secure. Picturing that space while
continuing to breathe deeply in, and deeply out, keeping the focus where you
have chosen. Stay here as long as you like. When you are ready to end your
meditation, come back to focusing on your breath as you scan your mind and body
again. Notice how you feel. Notice what you're thinking. Repeat as often as
you’d like!
For
more information:
Caregiver
Statistics:
Caregiver
Burnout:
Meditation
Benefits Seniors and Their Caregivers:
Caregiver
Meditation:
Meditation
Apps:
Calm
- https://www.calm.com/
Headspace
- https://www.headspace.com/
Insight
Timer - https://insighttimer.com/
Or
search for them in your App Store
