How Can You Learn to Ask for Help Effectively as a Caregiver?
When you’ve been a pretty self-sufficient person for most of your life, you might find it difficult to ask for help with anything. Being a caregiver seems to complicate that problem because you may feel as if you have to be the one doing all the helping.
Look at How You Ask for Help Now.
Take an honest look at how you ask for help now. You most likely apologize a lot or you diminish what you need help doing. When you do this, it sends a subconscious signal to the other person that you really hope that they turn you down and that you have to keep looking for help. That’s not what you really want, so you’re actually working against yourself.
Practice with Smaller Tasks.
There’s probably a large list of tasks that you need help with and some of them are smaller favors while others are big, huge tasks that you’re dreading talking about with someone else. So take it easy on yourself and start out by asking for help with some of the smaller tasks. As you have success with those and as you get positive responses, you’re building your confidence around asking others for help.
Remember that You’ll Hear “No.”
It’s important to note that you can ask for help in all the right ways and you may still hear “no.” That’s actually okay. Other people have things going on in their own lives and they may not be able to do what you need right now. That doesn’t mean that you should never ask them for help again or that they don’t want to help. Don’t let a no discourage you from ever asking for help again. If you’re prepared, it won’t feel so daunting.
Keep Updating Your List of Tasks.
The tasks just keep coming when you’re a busy family caregiver. So start keeping a running list of tasks that have to get done. When someone is helping you, note that alongside the task and keep on going. Eventually your task list is going to have more delegated tasks than ones you have to do personally and that’s a good thing. It allows you to focus on caregiving itself.
Don’t Feel Guilty.
Many caregivers feel guilty about ever asking for help. But the important thing to remember is that you’re just one person. You can’t possibly do everything on your own and there’s no shame in asking for help.
When you know that you can ask for help in a way that gets you what you need, you’ll be able to keep doing it. As a caregiver, you can’t keep doing everything on your own forever. Even if you don’t think you need help now, you will in the future.
If you or an loved-one are considering professional caregiver services in Bensalem, PA, talk to Unlimited Staffing Solutions. Specializing in Home and Community Based Support Waiver Services Since 2001. Please Call Us for Your Home Care Needs (215) 447-713
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