Tag Archives: stress

April is National Stress Awareness Month so it’s a good time to discuss healthy ways caregivers of those with dementia and Alzheimer’s can manage stress levels.

The first thing I recommend is to set realistic expectations. The dementia care journey is unique and unpredictable. The more flexible and adaptable you are, the more resilient you will be when facing those tough days when everything seems to go wrong.

Stress can manifest itself in a wide variety of mental and physical symptoms. While people may recognize common symptoms like irritability, anxiety, headaches, and digestive issues, stress can also impair decision-making skills. The longer someone endures a stressful situation, the more difficult it may be to recognize the signs of stress, as the situation begins to feel like the new normal. It’s important to recognize how your body reacts to stressful situations so you can find a stress-relieving method that will work best for you.

There are no shortage of stress reduction techniques that dementia caregivers may find helpful. For me, walks in nature and listening to music were my go-to methods for relieving stress. Anything that helped me reset my brain and my emotional state was effective when I was facing a stressful caregiving situation.

Don’t overlook the ways stress may impact your loved one with dementia. While they may not be able to express their feelings of stress clearly anymore, there are signs that caregivers should aware of as well as the triggers that may cause stress in their loved ones. A caregiver’s mood and stress level may impact a person with dementia.

Being a dementia caregiver can be a lonely and isolating experience. Finding practical ways to relieve your stress, creative outlets to express your feelings, and connecting with others going through a similar situation can be beneficial.

Speaking of creative outlets, I’d like to invite you to a poetry reading taking place at the end of April. Poetry for the Dementia Journey is being hosted by AlzAuthors on April 29 at 2 p.m. ET. The live poetry reading will feature 20 poets, including myself. You can RSVP via this form. I hope you can join us.

Image by ChatGPT.