Simren’s Guide to Self-Care for the Caregiver: Essential Tips and Insights
In the daily grind of providing love and support to their loved ones, parents and caregivers often fail to take care of one of the most vital aspects. Themselves. However, over the years, Simren Mehn has learned to recognize symptoms of caregiver stress and chalk out a lifestyle that includes time for herself, to prevent burnout and ensure that she gives her best to the child.
GodsOwnChild listens to Simren as she succinctly puts it, self-care is not selfish.
Aryan, who is 11 years old, amuses himself by playing with his plants. However, Simren Mehn, his mother, is utterly exhausted.
The dark circles show up on her eyes Lack of sleep and mental and physical fatigue are a constant in her life now.
She is an honest caregiver who is also the mom of a child with special needs and who doesn't overlook the most important aspect of being a caregiver.
Caregiver stress syndrome for parents of special needs children
The disease known as caregiver stress syndrome is characterized by tiredness on all levels—physical, mental, and emotional.
It usually happens when someone puts their own physical and mental health on the back burner while attending to a sick, hurt, or disabled loved one.
Some of the common symptoms include:
- Feeling overwhelmed or constantly worried
- Feeling tired often
- Sleeping excessively or insufficiently.
- Gaining or losing weight
- Becoming easily irritated or angry
- Losing interest in doing things you love
- Feeling sad
- Experiencing a lot of headaches, discomfort in your body, or other physical issues.
In the daily grind of providing love and support to their loved ones, a caregiver often fails to care for one of the most vital aspects. Themselves.
However, in the years that have passed, and after instances of caregiver burnout, which she did not even recognize as such, Simren has discovered how to include a routine of self-love and self-care to prevent suffering.
Self-care is not being self-centered, as Simren states so well.
Who is a caregiver?
Somebody who helps another person in need, such as a sick spouse or partner, a disabled child, or an elderly relative, is referred to as a caretaker.
Nonetheless, it's common for family members to not self-identify as "carers" when providing active care for an elderly person.
By accepting their place in the family, carers might receive the help they need.
Simren was baffled as to why newborn hepatitis in 2-month-old Aryan hadn't cleared up after months when it was discovered that he had a persistent case of it.
The experience of chasing an infant around was physically exhausting while still nursing a cesarean and having her own stitches not heal. But what was much more upsetting was the ambiguity of how long things would last.
Around his first birthday, the effects of neonatal hepatitis gradually subsided, but they left him with a neurological condition and a delayed learning curve.
In the beginning, running hospitals in Delhi, Hyderabad, and Bhubaneswar was physically taxing. The fact that her spouse had to go to a different place for business while she had to remain put was an additional hindrance.
Coping with caregiver burnout and stress
Finally, along with the fatigue came Simren’s weary realization that this was almost a lifelong series of events.
After that, there was a great deal of anger. anger directed against God, themselves, and those around them.
Simran, although not particularly ambitious herself, was a person who enjoyed working, which led to stress and frustration.
She had to put her career on hold and turn down many excellent possibilities that came her way. She would lose her current employment and the entire support structure would collapse if she moved away from the city where she was employed.
Ways to deal with caregiver stress
She finally concluded, after considering many different angles, that she needed to take a break, even though she was a caretaker.
In particular, caring for a child with special needs who also has neurological diseases is very demanding on the parent because their life starts to center only on the child.
Simren made it a point to travel with her buddies all by herself.
She made a concerted effort to start looking after her health by attending yoga classes very early in the morning when no one would need her, going out for movie evenings with friends, or just setting off on solo trips.
"A caregiver for a child with special needs to have some level of physical fitness. We must invest in ourselves if we want to be around to care for children for a longer time. Because there is never enough time, you must make time for yourself, she advised.
She made a deliberate effort to improve her health after realizing that she was actually aging much more quickly than her classmates as a result of the physical exhaustion and mental stress she had been subjected to over the years.
Staying positive
"Counting your blessings can help you see the positive aspects of situations and minimize your worries. I came to see that having a really optimistic outlook on life is one of my natural strengths. Considering what works in a certain context is always a good idea. One must adopt a "half full" perspective, she advised.
I also have the quality of believing that whatever happens in life happens for a reason. I am grateful to God for it, and I also appreciate the compassion of my friends, family, and random strangers," she continued.
Importance of taking breaks for parents of children with special needs
She emphasizes the value of taking vacations, like a three- to four-day girls' vacation, as long as there is a support system in place and it can be handled with the aid of friends and family.
She has found that going to the hairdresser, shopping alone, or even simply getting away from everyone has helped her to deal.
She has found that going on walks, establishing friends, and contacting other friends have all helped her manage the stress of being a caretaker.
She implores parents, especially moms who are made to feel as though their lives and careers should be put on hold whenever their child needs them, to stop feeling guilty about taking time for themselves.
Simren also discovered, "much, much later," as she put it, the value of taking breaks and occasionally acting like a selfish mother.
She claims that she cannot spread positive energy if she is not happy with herself.
