Change your Mind, Change your Brain, Change your Life, One Session at a Time
Caregiver & Frontline Worker Support
?
Caregiving
-
Are you a caregiver to someone with intellectual or physical challenges, or are you living in the Sandwich Generation caring for aging parents and your own children at the same time?
-
In 2013, I moved in with my mother as she could no longer take care of herself at age 80, nor could she take care of my older sister, who has a Developmental Disability. Looking after two disabled family members while I worked full-time brought me to the brink some days.
-
These experiences now allow me to help others in similar situations. Please connect with me if you need support.
?
?
The Stats
-
1 in 4 Canadians care for someone aging or with a physical or mental disability.
-
50% care for parents spending up to 4 hours per week on caregiving.
-
13% care for a spouse - 14 hours per week.
-
Over 600,000 (8%) provided care to their child with a long-term health, physical or mental disability (source)
Frontline workers are also not alone:
-
35% of Public Safety Personnel and Health Care Workers have reported symptoms of PTSD, depression, and/or anxiety since Covid began (source)
Frontline Care
-
For those who work in the helping professions, vicarious trauma can occur due to empathetic engagement, support, or caregiving for others who are in crisis or have been traumatized
-
All frontline workers, anyone who engages empathically with those in crisis can potentially be affected by anxiety, depression, stress, and PTSD symptoms
-
As a former volunteer for Victim Services Wellington County, and a mental health professional, I have an idea of what you might be going through. But we each have our own experiences and my goal is to get to know you and understand your unique perspective.
In light of these statistics more and more we at Insight-Online are seeing Caregivers & Frontline Workers who come to us with the following concerns:
-
Feelings of rage, sadness, and anger about having to spread themselves so thin
-
A sense of self-doubt often accompanied by shame and questioning their self-worth or professional abilities or in their caregiver role.
-
Consistently reflecting, ruminating, or worrying about their caregiving responsibilities or patients they worked with that day
-
Feeling cynical, pessimistic and/or hopeless due to their levels of exhaustion
-
They have body aches, headaches, and a lowered resistance to pain and/or illness
-
Losing focus at work due to fleeting thoughts about the people they care for
-
Feeling the urge to stay away those they care for to regulate their own emotions
-
They feel empathic toward those they care for and over-compensate at the expense of their own health - Survivor's Guilt
-
They may feel numb or emotionally detached from the people in their lives, those they care for, or those they work with
-
Feeling emotionally dysregulated or irritable
-
Sleeping problems (difficulties falling asleep or staying asleep)
-
They may have developed unhealthy coping mechanisms (overeating, substance use, gambling, pornography use) that work at the moment, but leave them feeling unworthy and full of shame.
If you are having any of the feelings noted above, please be Gentle on Yourself! Know these are natural, "normal," and adaptive strategies that your mind and body put in place for your survival, and to protect you to allow you to continue to do your job. As a brain-based therapist I can help you to understand the link between your mind and body and help you to identify and become more aware of the links between your emotional states and your caregiving or frontline worker stress.
Yes, You Can Heal from Caregiver Stress & Vicarious Trauma
Post-traumatic or Post-Stress Growth is possible...
Those working in the helping professions are exposed to trauma and crisis regularly, it is part of our job, but the pandemic added another layer of trauma where "helpers" were forced to make triage decisions like never before and some of these decisions left them traumatized, wrought with guilt, and even wanting to leave the profession. Caregivers, particularly during the pandemic were also faced with extreme grief and losses. Post-traumatic growth for caregivers and frontline workers is possible.
Post Traumatic Growth is a positive change in your life or emotional well-being after having worked through traumatic experiences. Sometimes people who face loss, trauma, or a crisis develop a sense that new opportunities have emerged from the struggle, opening up new possibilities and increasing meaning in their life. Some people experience closer relationships with those they may have experienced the crisis with, and they can also experience an increased sense of healthy connection to others who suffer. In addition, a new sense of self-efficacy can occur and one may emerge from trauma with a greater appreciation for their work, life, family, and relationships. Moreover, some individuals may connect or re-connect with their spiritual selves resulting in enhanced self-understanding and empathy for themselves and others.
Post-Covid Anxiety & Depression
While frontline workers and caregivers have some specific types of trauma, many of us are still dealing with the anxiety of living more than three years in a bubble where just the thought of getting Covid put us over the edge. The good news is that vaccines have helped our anxiety, but during those years, our brains may have become wired to still be fearful. Moreover, long-term stress and anxiety can lead to depression. We are here to help support your transition to post covid living and are happy to offer a complimentary meet and greet to see how we can help.
