There’s a story about a psychologist you may remember.
In the story, the psychologist is holding a glass of water among her peers. It isn’t long before people start wisecracking about whether it’s half-full or half-empty. The psychologist holding the glass of water asks her fellow colleagues how much water they believe is in the glass. The answers range from 6 to 12 ounces, but after the guesses, the psychologist tells them that the amount of water doesn’t matter…
“It doesn’t matter how much the glass weighs, what matters is how long I hold on to it. If I hold on to it for a few seconds, it’s no big deal; if I hold onto it for a few hours, my arm may ache; if I hold onto it for a day, then my arm can grow numb, even paralyzed.”
The water is much like the worries we carry. If we think of them briefly, they can do no harm; a little while and we may dread; after a day of thinking about them, we can feel hopeless, incapable of doing anything.
In the case of stress and worries, don’t repress them, but don’t let them control you either. Let them pass.
Worries of Family Caregivers
This story rings all too true for family caregivers – and they know it! Being a caregiver is stressful enough, but what makes it hard is that it is a full-time job. For some people, it’s not even the “hours” they spend caring for their elder that makes it full-time, but the fact that they are always thinking about it; always on-call.
The difficulty with being your elder’s primary caregiver goes beyond errands, tasks, and medications.
For those caregivers seeking relief, many turn to groups, communities, and even blogs for guidance. If you listen (or read) caregiver stories, you’ll recognize the struggles and – very likely – be touched by the moral.
And, while many families expect that alleged “light at the end of the tunnel,” it rarely happens. They continue their erratic routine, taking care of their elder; pushing themselves to be more patient, to endure more… but eventually they collapse under the pressure.
It’s not their fault either. The added workload is indeed hefty, but the problem is that our elders will continue to need more and more care.
Indeed, we can hold the glass of water for a time, we can take care of our elders with assurance… but as time continues, we begin to waver and tremble under the increasing weight. Our elders require more attention and our schedules don’t return to routine. If we continue to provide care without the aid of someone else, we will drop the glass; our senior will be unsafe; we will collapse.
Hold that glass.
Hold it for as long as you can.
But when you need help, don’t waver when contacting the Concierge Care Advisors.
