Managing Caregiver Stress

What you will be able to do

• recognize the signs of caregiver stress and burnout in your body, mind and behavior.
• track your stress and spot your own triggers and patterns.
• use quick calming techniques, such as a simple slow-breathing exercise, during a caregiving day.
• find caregiver support services near you and prepare to ask for help with respite, counseling and training.
• build a support map and make specific requests for help.
• plan regular breaks and an emergency plan for the person you care for.
• write a realistic self-care plan covering food, drink, sleep, movement and boundaries.
• recognize when to get help and which services to contact, including 988 and 911.

1. 1Understanding caregiver stress

   Recognize yourself as a caregiver, understand why caring is so stressful, and learn the signs that stress is building in your body, mind and behavior.

   • You are a caregiver, and that counts
   • How stress shows up in your body, mind and behavior
   • Starting your stress tracker

   Caregiver stress trackerCaregiver well-being check: am I running on empty?

2. 2Everyday skills for stressful moments

   Learn quick, practical ways to calm your body in the moment, understand what fills your stress bucket, and handle the hard feelings that come with caring.

   • Triggers and the stress bucket
   • Quick resets that fit a caregiving day
   • Guilt, anger, grief and other hard feelings

   Five-minute breathing reset for caregiversCaregiver stress tracker

3. 3Support, money and work

   Find caregiver support through your Area Agency on Aging, learn where money and practical help may come from, and make your doctor and employer work with you.

   • Caregiver support services: what they are and how to get them
   • Money and practical help
   • Your doctor, your own health and your job

   My support mapMy caregiver self-care planCaregiver stress tracker

4. 4Building your support map

   Map the people, services and helplines around you, learn how to ask for specific help, and find caregivers who understand what you are going through.

   • Mapping who is around you
   • How to ask for help, and accept it
   • Caregiver groups, helplines and online support

   My support map

5. 5Breaks, respite and planning ahead

   Learn the different kinds of breaks, how they are arranged and paid for, how to plan breaks that actually happen, and how to make an emergency plan.

   • Kinds of breaks and respite
   • Planning breaks that actually happen
   • Making an emergency plan

   Respite and breaks plannerMy support map

6. 6Looking after your body and setting boundaries

   Keep your energy up with simple food, drink, sleep and movement habits that fit a caregiving day, set healthy boundaries, and pull everything together in your self-care plan.

   • Eating and drinking well on a caregiving day
   • Sleep, rest and moving more
   • Boundaries and your self-care plan

   My caregiver self-care planCaregiver stress trackerFive-minute breathing reset for caregivers

• TrackerCaregiver stress trackerLog your stress level, sleep, breaks and what helped each day so you can spot your own patterns over four weeks.
• PlannerRespite and breaks plannerPlan a daily pause, a weekly longer break and who will cover care, with a backup for when plans fall through.
• TemplateMy support mapWrite down everyone and everything that can help you, from close family to helplines, so you know exactly who to turn to and for what.
• TemplateMy caregiver self-care planBuild a realistic, one-page plan for looking after your own body and mind while you care for someone else.
• CheckerCaregiver well-being check: am I running on empty?A quick look at common signs of caregiver strain, with clear next steps, including when to get help right away.
• Guided audioFive-minute breathing reset for caregiversA short guided slow-breathing exercise that you can use in the kitchen, the car or the bathroom.