Caregiver Burnout (The Sandwich Generation)

1. Prioritize your needs – schedule activities that bring you joy, then work around it.  If you don’t take care of yourself, then you will get burnout, get sick, get overwhelmed, become resentful and then the people who need you will not get the help they need.

2. Have boundaries – only allow a certain number of hours a week to take care of others.

3. Ask for help – ask for what you need instead of resenting for not asking. Ask family members, significant other, children, friends, neighbors, your community for help.  People are happy to help, they don’t know that you need it. You can also delegate or outsource, most of the time it is worth it.

A lot of people, especially women, are in the sandwich generation.  Taking care of aging parents and taking care of kids is what the sandwich generation is challenged with.  This generation tends to be more tired, stressed, anxious and depressed because they want to take care of everyone and subconsciously forgetting to take care of themselves.  This leads to resentment, burnout, anger, suicidal ideation, alcoholism, and many other negative results.  The worst part is that they don’t become a good example to their kids because they are teaching their kids to glorify self-neglect.

Parents cannot expect their kids to be happy and do what they love when they (the parents) themselves glorify self-neglect and do not take care of themselves and miserable all of the time because they are so busy taking care of others.

So try the tips above to get through the caregiver burnout and set good examples to others.