Four Reasons You Need to Manage Your Own Chronic Pain
Caregivers are notorious for ignoring their own health issues in favor of taking care of their family members. But some issues, like chronic pain, just can’t be ignored for very long at all. It may be time for you to find a better way to deal with your chronic pain so that you can take that off your list of challenges.
Home Care in Deerfield IL: Managing Chronic Pain as a Caregiver
Pain Interferes with Your Sleep Habits.
When you’re in pain day in and day out, you’re not going to be able to sleep as well as you want or need to. It’s more difficult to fall asleep and your body doesn’t get the chance to repair that it needs. That puts you in a vicious cycle where you wind up experiencing even more pain and that’s the last thing that you need.
Pain Gives You One More Thing to Balance.
As a caregiver, you’re already doing a lot. You’re managing health issues for your senior and you may have multiple other obligations, too. Chronic pain gives you one more situation that you have to manage and it’s not an easy situation to manage, especially on your own. At a time when you need to be able to minimize the extra problems that you’re dealing with in all areas of your life, chronic pain makes them all more complicated.
Pain Affects Your Emotional Health.
Pain doesn’t just affect your physical health. It also affects your overall emotional health and well-being. You might experience anxiety, depression, or even anger. All of this weighs heavily on you, especially if you’re already worried about the family member that you care for on a daily basis.
You’ll Find it More Difficult Overall to Be a Caregiver.
Speaking of your caregiving duties, those are likely more difficult when you’re in pain. If your elderly family member needs mobility assistance, she’s probably leaning on you quite a bit. Your own pain can make it difficult for you to be supporting your aging adult both physically and emotionally. As caregiving itself becomes even more difficult, you’re going to find yourself more easily stressed by normal events.
Always talk to your own doctor about what you can do about chronic pain that you’re experiencing. If you’re ignoring it because you feel that you’re too busy with your duties as a caregiver, you’re selling yourself short and possibly shortening the time you can spend being a caregiver.
If you or an aging loved one are considering home care in Deerfield, IL, contact the caring staff at Companion Services of America today at (847) 943-3786. Our home care service area includes Northbrook, Highland Park, Deerfield, Glenview, Buffalo Grove, Evanston, Des Plaines, Skokie, Lake Forest, Wilmette and the surrounding areas.
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