You can’t really do much about your stress levels as a caregiver until you learn what is causing you stress. This is going to involve really checking in with yourself and paying close attention to how you feel in any given situation. You may not realize just how many different situations are giving you stress, but you can do something about it.

Figure out Your Triggers
The first step in understanding stress and how it affects you is to figure out what triggers stress for you. It’s different for everyone, although there are some commonalities in how people experience stress. Life itself can be stressful. But there are specific situations and experiences which can cause more stress for you than for someone else. Those are likely your triggers.

External Causes of Stress
External causes of stress are just that. They’re outside of you and your immediate thoughts and actions. External triggers might be moving, grieving, loud noises, or smells that are uncomfortable. There are millions of other external stressors, too. So much of what other people do and how other people interact with you can also be considered external causes of stress.

Internal Causes of Stress
Internal causes of stress are ones that come from inside your mind and body. Fear is a huge internal cause of stress, especially phobias. Feeling sad, mad, or some other type of emotion can be a stress trigger for you depending on how you’ve been taught to deal with those emotions. Feeling stressed can, oddly enough, be a trigger for more stress as you struggle to manage it effectively.

Keep at It
Your goal right now is to really pay attention to what causes stress for you, both from external and internal causes. After you identify them you can start to figure out what to do about them. Having a solution doesn’t guarantee that you’re going to be able to completely eliminate your stress, but it gives you a head start that you didn’t have before. Keep going, because you’re going to keep spotting triggers. The more that you identify the more solutions you can put into place.

Being a caregiver unfortunately means you’re going to have plenty of stressors coming your way. What matters is how you approach them and what you do to help yourself to cope. You may not be fully stress free as a result of this process, but you’ll know what to do the next time stress becomes an issue.

Excerpt: It’s so helpful for you to understand your stress levels and what contributes to them.

If you or an aging loved-one are considering a Caregiver in Levelland, TX, please contact the caring staff at Best In-Home Care (806) 412-0723.