Holiday Stress and the Health of a Caregiver

The holidays are a time of joy.  However, stress can also appear during the holiday season for family caregivers.  Caregiver stress or burnout is a state of emotional, physical, and mental exhaustion that occurs when you are taking care of someone else.  Adding on the extra activities of the holiday season can make this stress even more intense. 

How can you tell if you’re experiencing caregiver stress?  If any of these signs feel familiar, you may be dealing with caregiver stress: 

• Sleeping too little or too much 
• Losing or gaining a substantial amount of weight
• Feeling overwhelmed
• Feeling tired often 
• Dealing with the feeling of being alone, deserted by others or isolated 
• Experiencing frequent headaches or body aches 
• Frequent worries or feelings of sadness
• Losing interest in activities that used to bring joy 
• Becoming easily angered or irritated 

Small doses of stress can have a positive impact on our lives.  Stress can boost immunity when the body is injured or fighting an infection.  Low-level stressors stimulate the production of brain chemicals known as neurotrophins and strengthen the connections between neurons in the brain, helping our brain power.  But chronic or long term stress, like caregiver stress, can result in health concerns.  Family caregivers can deal with physical challenges that include: 

• Short term memory or issues focusing:  This is especially common for family caregivers who are taking care of a parent or spouse with dementia.  These caregivers are at a higher risk for issues with focus and short term memory loss. 
• Anxiety and depression:  Female caregivers are more likely than men to deal with these issues, which are linked to an elevated risk for additional health concerns like stroke and heart disease. 
• Weakened immune system:  Caregivers who are stressed may have weaker immune systems than their counterparts who are not caregivers.  These caregivers may experience more and longer bouts of illnesses like the cold or flu and their immune system can make vaccines like a flu shot less effective. 
• Elevated risk for chronic diseases:  Stress at high levels can elevate the risk for health concerns like cancer, heart disease, diabetes and arthritis.  
• Obesity:  Weight gain leading to obesity will raise the risk for health related problems like stroke, diabetes and heart disease. 

Especially during the holidays, it is so important for family caregivers to try to minimize their stress and find ways to bring more joy into their lives. Here are some ways to start managing stress levels: 

Streamline holiday tasks:  Keeping up with the traditions you’ve done in the past may be adding to your stress.  Realizing that you are in control over how you celebrate can be freeing.  By incorporating the activities that bring you joy and letting go of things that feel overwhelming can help.  Maybe decorating the whole house feels like too much.  Choosing your favorite, most meaningful decorations and focusing on those elements can bring you more joy than bringing out all the decorations you’ve collected over many years.  You may find it freeing to make your holiday card list smaller or to send e-greetings this year.  

Strive for meaning, not perfection:  Focus on spending time with loved ones and creating memories that will last.  Setting the perfect table isn’t important but having the opportunity to enjoy the company of others will help you live in the moment. 

Incorporate help:  You may feel reluctant to accept help from friends or family members who can see that you’ve got a lot on your plate. But it is okay to let well meaning loved ones assist in so many ways, from running an errand for you or spending some time with the person you care for so you can have a moment to breathe.  Let guests bring a side to the holiday dinner so you won’t have to cook the entire meal.  Hiring someone to give your home a cleaning prior to a holiday gathering can help, too. 

CarePatrol understands the stress that family caregivers can go through, especially during the holiday season. For over 3 decades, we’ve been helping families like yours find senior solutions tailored to your loved one and their needs.  We would love to help your family.