Have you met Monika, the Dementia Hub’s Clinic Director? With nearly 12 years of experience as an Occupational Therapist (OT) and seven years in home-based healthcare, Monika is dedicated to creating practical ways to promote dignity, community, and compassionate planning in dementia care. She is the leading lady behind Oakwood’s Caregiver Support Groups and strives to create a strong support network for caregivers traveling through all stages of dementia progression alongside their loved ones. In this blog, Monika reflects on the importance of simple self-care and its benefits for combating the heavy burden of stress many caregivers carry. 

During this week’s Caregiver Support Group, we picked a quote to press into a donated sandwich board at Oakwood’s Town Center Day Club. The chosen quote from author and poet E.E. Cummings reads, “The most wasted of days is the one without laughter.” The process of pressing each letter into the old-school felt board was cathartic and laughter-inducing, inviting some relief for caregivers who certainly needed a break from their endless roles and responsibilities.

Throughout this process, we as a group learned the importance of caregivers being able to break away every once in a while to take a moment for ourselves – but it’s admittedly much easier said than done sometimes. Stress can grip us, which makes it harder to step aside from the daily hustle and bustle for a moment of peace. Guilt is quick to settle in, and the storm of incessant thoughts swirled by the day’s need-to-do lists often overwhelms us. It might seem impossible, but I promise you, it really is doable, and I am here to show you how. First, let us look at WHY it is actually so important to take a beat for some simple self-care:

Did you know stress can either be short-term (acute) or long-term (chronic)? Short-term stress happens as a reaction to an immediate threat, such as jumping when you hear a loud noise. When the threat goes away, so does the response or stress in your body. Long-term stress or chronic stress, on the other hand, is a reaction to stress that is ongoing, such as caregiving for an extended period of time. In long-term stress, the body stays tense UNLESS or UNTIL you use stress reduction strategies that can trigger a relaxation response (COPE Program Manual, Gitlin & Piersol).

Stress can significantly impact our lives emotionally, mentally, and even physically, but stress can also be lessened – or at least addressed – in less than 10 seconds. It’s all about finding the right trigger that works best for you.