I’m tired today. Caregiving on top of my regular activities adds both a physical and mental burden. I’m very thankful to still have my older family members with me, but I’m honest enough to admit it’s exhausting sometimes. Being tired is a small price to pay to have my family in circumstances where they can age in place.
I assume most of us want to live long lives in the best possible circumstances. That’s what I want to provide for my family members. That’s what I hope for myself, but secretly, I sometimes think I’m going to be that really spicy little lady in the nursing home that some people love and others love to hate.
If you are a full-time caregiver, working full-time while providing care, or are any other kind of caregiver, give yourself permission to be tired. Give yourself permission to feel exhausted. Complain if it helps you relieve stress. Scream if you need to.
No one does caregiving perfectly all the time. I don’t even think of myself as a natural caregiver, but I do and learn what is needed of me as it comes. Some days that is the best I can do.
If you aren’t a caregiver, step back and observe before you judge someone else’s caregiving style. The day you see them in action, they may be hanging on by a thread. They may be a level of tired you have never experienced.
We’re all just trying our best most days so give yourself and others permission to have a bad day without holding it against them.
(There will be posts about caregiving as long as that is what is going on. This is life for an independent writer with caregiving responsibilities, and I know I’m not the only person in this kind of situation. I’m going to keep sharing caregiving experiences in case they help someone else.)
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Inspirational Verse for the Day:
My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart, my portion forever. (Psalm 73:26, CSB)
All Things Subject to Change 