New Year’s Resolutions: A Caregiver’s Guide to Staying on Track - MalaysiaCaregiving Support
New Year’s Resolutions: A Caregiver’s Guide to Staying on Track
As a caregiver, our goals may change as we face the new year. Here are positive and realistic goals you can set for yourself and how to stay on track.
2022 has rolled up its curtains to welcome us with hopefully better news than what last year offered us. With a fresh start comes opportunities to renew our intentions and goals for the next 12 months. Making resolutions might sound fun for the younger generations but if done right, it can make a positive impact on everyone’s life, includingour elderlyand also you as committed caregivers.
Are resolutions and goals different?
The term ‘resolutions’ and ‘goals’ are often used interchangeably—referring to a list of things you plan to achieve within a certain period of time, like New Year’s.
However, from a different perspective, resolutions are actually made up of short-term goals. In order for a resolution to be successfully manifested, you have to start by planning on the practical ways to accomplish that end.
Let us look at one example: your resolution this year is to be healthier, focusing on physical fitness. The next step is to make a routine schedule by setting up daily targets on how frequent you want to practise them. Perhaps daily or weekly—these consistent small goals will paddle you towards your resolution. In other words, without goals, your resolutions will just be another one of your daydreaming thoughts.
Why are resolutions and goals important for caregivers?
Making resolutions with attainable goals can benefit caregivers in various ways such as:
To keep you motivated
Caregiving days can get tough especially if you are managing multiple roles in different social settings—with family, colleagues, and friends. Unlike an 8 to 5 job, caring for our seniors entails an around-the-clock commitment that demands a huge portion of your energy, time, and attention. Some days can get messy where everything does not go per schedule or our loved one is not in their best mood.
This is why small goals are as important as your resolutions. Setting daily targets can push you to get things done on a day-to-day basis so that you will be consistent in accomplishing them. Crossing off tasks from the list gives you the feeling of satisfaction as a reward, which then helps to boost motivation. So, even when hiccups happen, you will still be determined to keep going and accomplish that goal of the day.
To live more intentionally
As a caregiver, it is way too easy getting caught up with all the hustle every day, that seems to make time fly by swiftly like running water. We run through days on autopilot as soon as we rise from the bed in the morning, rushing from one chore to the next. When we have too many things on our plate racing against limited time, things can get out of control without us realising.
Having a resolution is a way of reclaiming that control by living life one day at a time through short-term goals. With mindful planning and organising, you will be able to reserve spaces and time to prioritise yourself as well, in addition to your loved ones. These simple acts can serve as an attempt to slow down the clock for you to take a necessary breather—even a 10-minute coffee break counts.
To make way for self-growth
Caring for another human being takes a toll on your self, at one point or another. The repetitive cycle can make you feel stagnant, thus leading to questioning your sense of self and purpose. However, we forget that caregivers are humans too who have their own journey in life and in need of self-development.
Resolutions compel you to take a step back and think about how you can improve for the better as a person. As you complete one goal after another, you are rewarding yourself through gradual progress. By being the best version of yourself, consequently, you can provide the best care for your loved one.
Examples of New Year’s resolutions for caregivers
If no one has patted you on the back for carrying this huge and noble role as a caregiver, let us do ourselves a favour this new year—by making resolutions that cater to your overdue needs and wants.
Don’t know where to start? Here are 6 examples to guide you:
Give back the same care and love to yourself.
Pouring out love and care to your loved one but leaving little to none for yourself does not do you any good, especially in the long run. You may think taking care of your own well-being is considered a selfish act but if your physical and mental health deteriorates, the quality of care you are providing gets affected too.
Therefore, take the time to reflect and check in with yourself on how you have been doing lately. Ensure your body is feeding off a balanced diet and getting enough rest. At the same time, train your mind with relaxing practices such as meditation or journaling. In addition, you can treat yourself to a spa day or just anything that makes you feel good about yourself!
Be open to assistance.
Asking for help or receiving one is never a sign of weakness. There is no shame in giving in—it just shows that you acknowledge your own limits to prevent situations from becoming worse, in case you are unable to carry out your obligations well.
Consider reaching out to your immediate family members to have a civil discussion over how they can assist and share the responsibilities. Together, you can make an arrangement that fits their convenience so that it is agreeable to all parties. Apart from family members, close friends or neighbours can also be an option when you need help at the last minute. Taking turns to provide care for your elderly can lift some of the pressure on your shoulders when things get overwhelming. You know what they say, many hands make light work!
Be okay with mistakes.
One of the common worries of being a caregiver is feeling inadequate in providing the best care for your senior. There are days we make mistakes that may hurt their feelings. Other days may include us forgetting about some small details of their routine or that we simply cannot squeeze the time to be present when they need us.
Nevertheless, do not beat yourself too hard when you feel like you are not doing enough. It is a given that nobody is perfect, not even professional healthcare providers. The key is to try your best every day and learn to be okay when things do not go your way.
Attend to your bottled-up emotions.
Managing seniors can cause you to suppress negative emotions such as anger and frustration for the sake of protecting their feelings. While this can serve as a temporary fix to maintaining a good relationship, having these emotions pent up and swept under the rug is unhealthy for your psychological state.
Seek emotional support from licensed therapists or counsellors to get those feelings out in the open and learn how to navigate them in a proper manner. In addition, you can also join support groups with other caregivers to take note of their coping mechanisms. Being surrounded by people who are dealing with similar concerns is a great way to have your feelings validated—comforting yourself that you are not alone.
Reward yourself with more breaks.
Taking some time apart occasionally from your loved one can be a good way to decompress. You owe yourself some deserved rest and pampering for a change. This is the chance to spend your me-time doing things you enjoy—hobbies, catching up with friends, exercising or going on a short trip! Remember, your life beyond caregiving still exists.
If you like to press pause and take your mind off elsewhere for a while, here is where asking for help comes in handy. Apart from family and friends, our trained professionals at would also be delighted to take over your obligations and put you at ease withhome care serviceswhile you are away to recharge.
Cherish every moment with your loved one.
When caregiving becomes ingrained as a daily routine, it can start to feel like we only do things for the sake of duty and often take for granted the shared time we have with our loved ones. Time is precious especially for our ageing seniors, hence we should take advantage of every moment to bond with them and be present whenever we can.
When you take them out for a stroll or accompany them over meals, let there be conversations and reminiscing from the old days. This collection of stories is what makes your role as a caregiver more meaningful and priceless. There are endlessactivitiesyou and your loved one can do at home to spend quality time together.
What if my resolutions fail?
No worries, it is not the end of the world! In fact, being open to change should be added to your list of resolutions. If you are unable to accomplish all of them, just carry forward the remaining ones to another year. Still, do not forget to applaud yourself for those successful resolutions you managed to achieve!
Growth is an ongoing process, so are your resolutions. At the end of the day, what really makes a resolution valuable is the small steps taken along the way. The journey is always better than the destination because that is where you really learn your lessons. Keep on trying and strive for at least one goal per day.
One good tip when deciding on a resolution is to start small before gradually aiming bigger. Oftentimes, people get too excited every year about leaving the ‘old me’ that they jump on the wagon by starting with a grand resolution. They feel pressured to achieve as much as possible, rather than actually wanting to work on themselves. Instead of going crazy with a long list, stick with simple yet specific resolutions that you know are doable.
With that, we wish you good luck on your resolutions and a happy new year! May 2022 brings us an abundance of blessings and glimmers of hope after a much challenging year. Keep on observing the SOPs and take good care of your well-being.
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References
Andersen, P. (2017, December 6). New Year’s resolutions for caregivers.Philips Lifeline.https://www.lifeline.philips.com/resources/blog/2017/12/new-year-resolutions-for-caregivers.html
Bursack, C. B. (2021, December 23). 13 New Year’s resolutions for caregivers.AgingCare.https://www.agingcare.com/articles/caregiver-new-years-resolutions-143643.htm
DailyCaring. (n.d.).4 New Year’s goals to improve caregiver well-being.https://dailycaring.com/3-new-years-resolutions-for-caregivers/
DailyCaring. (n.d).7 positive New Year’s resolutions for caregivers.https://dailycaring.com/positive-new-years-resolutions-for-caregivers/
Robson, D. (2022, January 3). Are New Year’s resolutions powerful or pointless?.BBC.https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20220103-powerful-effective-new-years-resolutions
Wilding, M. (n.d.). Why your New Year’s resolution suck (and how to create goals that actually work). Retrieved January 5, 2022, fromhttps://melodywilding.com/why-your-new-years-resolutions-suck-and-how-to-create-goals-that-actually-work/
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