Tips for Easing Stress During the Holiday Season

Home Care in Little Falls MN: Tips for Easing Stress During the Holiday Season

The holidays are the most joyous time of the year, but they can also be the most stressful. With all of the activities and tasks and events that you need to handle, it is easy to feel as though your to-do list never ends and there isn’t enough time in any day to get it all done. This is particularly true for you as a family caregiver. You are not only having to take care of your usual holiday celebrations and preparations, but your parent’s care tasks as well. This can lead up to a tremendous amount of stress that can dampen your enjoyment of the holidays and even put your health at risk. Fortunately, there are ways that you can ease this stress and feel more relaxed and joyful during the holiday season.

Use these tips to help you ease stress during the holiday season:

• Go for potlucks. If you usually prepare the whole feast for your family, now may be the time for you to take a step back. A potluck allows everyone to be involved and contribute, which eases your burden and creates a festive environment. Be sure to coordinate with everyone ahead of time, however, as you do not want several people bringing the same dish and your table lacking the necessities.
• Accept help. During the holidays especially you should not try to handle all of your parent’s care tasks on your own. This can also extend to tasks with the rest of your family. Do not be afraid to accept, and even seek out, additional help during this time. This can include setting up carpools, having friends and family spend time with your parent or bring them on errands, or asking that your partner take a more active role in the home or with your children.
• Slim down the gift list. Suggest that this year everyone is responsible for purchasing gifts for only one or two family members outside of their children. Draw names or plan for specific exchanges, such as sibling exchange gifts, or adult children only buy for their parent.
• Learn to say ‘no’. You may feel incredibly uncomfortable saying ‘no’ during the holidays, but when you are a family caregiver, this can be one of your most powerful tools to protect your health and well-being, and to ensure that your time and energy go to the things that matter the most, such as your children and your parent. Identify the volunteer opportunities, parties, and other tasks that are most important to you, and then say ‘no’ to the others.

Starting home care for your aging parent is one of the best decisions that you can make during the course of your caregiver journey with them. An in-home senior care services provider can be in your parent’s home on a fully customized schedule to ensure that they always have access to the care, support, and assistance that they need to handle their individual challenges, limitations, and needs. This not only helps them to stay safe, healthy, and comfortable throughout their later years, but also encourages them to pursue a lifestyle that is more active, engaged, independent, and fulfilling. For you as their family caregiver, knowing that your aging parent has continued access to personalized care can give you peace of mind, ease your stress, and enable you to focus time and energy on other elements of your life as well.

If you or an aging loved-one are considering home care in Little Falls, MN, please contact the caring staff at Alternative Senior Care today. Providing Home Care in Central Minnesota and Surrounding Communities. Call us Today (320) 352-3350.