Home Care in Turnersville NJ
Guilt is a scary emotion because it’s a signal to ourselves that we’re doing something inappropriate or wrong. At its best, guilt can help us in self-examination and determining where we’ve gone wrong in a given situation. Most family caregivers are accepting guilt that they shouldn’t be accepting, however.
Remember that Guilt Is a Normal Feeling
Everyone experiences guilt at some point or another. Guilt can be a powerful motivating force or it can be crippling. Good guilt, for example, is guilt that lets you take a deeper look at your actions and adjust them if they’re not right. Bad guilt is the kind that you might use to beat yourself up when you haven’t done anything wrong.
Tell Yourself You’re Doing What You Can
Once you examine your actions and determine that you’re not doing anything wrong, be good to yourself. Remind yourself that you’re doing what you can with the situation at hand. If you do continue to feel guilt, it may be time to examine it on a deeper level and determine why you’re feeling guilt so often.
Don’t “Should” Yourself
One reason that you might be continuing to experience guilt even after you determine that you don’t need the guilt is that you’re telling yourself that you “should,” “could,” or “ought” to be doing something differently. These words are a signal to your subconscious that you’re not doing enough or you’re not acting appropriately. So take a close look at the language that you use with yourself to determine if you’re assigning yourself blame after all.
Let Yourself off the Hook
Family caregivers are often much more difficult on themselves than even other family members can be. So it’s time to let yourself celebrate and enjoy caregiving and what you give to your elderly loved one. You’re doing enough and you are enough right now, simply by being a caregiver for your elderly loved one. Once you can accept that you’re doing as much as you can, the guilt should fade away fairly quickly.
When you’re feeling guilty, take some time for yourself. Let other family members or your loved one’s home care providers step in for a bit to give you a moment to seek some clarity.
For home care in Turnersville, NJ and the surrounding areas, call and talk to us at Home to Stay Healthcare Solutions (856) 321-1500.
