Part of being a family caregiver involves constantly dealing with one situation after another. Some of those situations can be extremely frustrating for you and you might find that you need to find a way to vent that frustration quickly and safely. Some of these techniques are good to have in your toolbox.

Breathe Deeply and Count Your Breaths

When you’re stressed or upset, your breathing automatically becomes faster and more shallow. To immediately calm yourself, consciously take slow, deep breaths and try counting them. Counting helps you to focus on each aspect of each breath so that you’re able to fall into that new breathing pattern. After about five or ten deep breaths, you should start to feel tangible results from deepening your breathing.

Tense and Release

After your breathing, it’s time to focus on your muscles. As you become more upset or stressed, your muscles tense up, but you may not really notice it. Consciously tense a group of muscles, say by squeezing your hands into fists, for example, and then release them completely and shake out those muscles. Go through all of your major muscle groups and do the same thing. You’ll notice a huge difference.

Visualize a Happy Place

If you’re able, close your eyes and visualize a place or a situation that is pleasant for you. Many people know this by a shortcut term, such as a happy place. While it’s easy to laugh about this kind of visualization, imagining that you’re in a place that makes you happy can do quite a bit to calm your mind and your emotions quickly.

Hum or Listen to a Favorite Song

Some situations don’t allow you to listen to a favorite song, but you might be able to hum a few bars. If you’re able, blasting a favorite song or two can really put you in a much more pleasant frame of mind in order to deal with whatever is causing you stress right now. When you can combine that with an impromptu “dance party,” you get your blood flowing and you get the emotional benefits.

Having time to yourself can allow you to practice using some of these techniques before you’re extremely stressed. Hiring elder care providers can give you that space that you need.

If you or an aging loved one are considering elder care in Loudoun, VA please contact the caring staff at Assisting Hands today. (703) 982-0050.