Chronic Diseases – 15 Tips to Support your Partner
Chronic Diseases – 15 Tips to Support your Partner. In our blog post we have summarized 15 care tips for you, how to support their partner, which suffer from a chronic disease in the best possible way.
Chronic Diseases – 15 Tips to Support your Partner. A chronic disease is a disease that can no longer be cured. The person is permanently affected by this sickness. However, in many cases the symptoms can be alleviated or pain prevented by taking tablets. There is no question that a chronicle disease is difficult for a loved one to cope with. No one wants to see their partner suffer, and especially not if they haven’t experienced it themselves and can’t put themselves in the person’s shoes as to how they are feeling, what they are feeling, etc. It can be quite difficult to support your loved one in the best possible way and to know how to do it. However, this varies from person to person and from illness to illness. It is difficult to give a pattern to follow.
Caregivers who support their spouses are very often forgotten. They are required to be psychological experts because chronic illness often affects mental health.
As a caregiver, you care for your loved one but often forget about yourself. You put your partner’s physical, emotional and spiritual needs before your own. In addition, it can be very difficult to collect your thoughts and keep a clear head in order to focus on what needs to be done and what is important.
15 Tips in short
In short, we have summarized 15 tips on how to best support a chronically ill partner. Because even in the best and most loving marriage, this can become a major obstacle.
1. Find support.
2. Get help.
3. Take time for yourself.
4. Be kind to yourself.
5. Recognize personal obstacles.
6. Communicate.
7. Try to be patient.
8. Don’t stop learning.
9. Remember your loved one.
10. Approach caregiving with your heart.
11. Be respectful.
12. Be empathetic.
13. Trust your ability to be a caregiver.
14. Know your limits.
15. Try not to judge.
Any relationship can be difficult, but when a chronic illness arises, “in sickness and in health” is easier said than done.
It is an insidious process that chronic illnesses shift the balance in the relationship. The more responsibility that must be taken on, the more the balance shifts. As a caregiver, you quickly feel overwhelmed and become resentful.
Surely you have already had these thoughts and have regretted it again a short time later. This is normal. You do not need to be ashamed of it or justify it. It is merely their thoughts.
In the following, we will go into more detail about the above 15 tips.
15 tips for caregivers!
1. Find support.
When you feel angry, you feel guilty and alone. That’s why it can be helpful to talk to other people who are also caring for a family member. You can Google support groups on Facebook or Twitter and join them to talk with other caregivers who have had similar experiences as you. It can be really helpful to meet people in online support groups. That way you don’t have to go through it alone. Otherwise, the worst case scenario is burnout.
Don’t be ashamed to seek help as a caregiver, both for your own well-being and for support in caring for your partner.
2. Get help.
Ask for help in finding new ways to care for your partner, and seek help for yourself from others as well. It’s not always about your partner; you need to help yourself, too. Consider hiring someone to help you with housework or child care. Perhaps family or friends are willing to support you. Make a list of family members, friends, neighbors or even local organizations that can help you and what tasks they can do.
3. Take time for yourself.
Spending time doing something you like can give you a much needed break. Giving yourself breaks can help you be an effective caregiver. Spend more time with other people who are important to you. They are important to your well-being. If you can’t enjoy life and give yourself breaks, you will eventually burn out. help yourself. Otherwise, you won’t be able to support your chronically ill loved one.
How can you support a partner with a chronic illness if you can’t be good to yourself?
4. Be kind to yourself.
Many family caregivers occasionally feel angry or frustrated. Then they feel guilty for having these feelings. To cope with these difficult feelings, you can talk to supportive friends, exercise, or write a journal. Writing a blog is one of the best ways to cope because you can express your feelings and help others at the same time. Kindness is something most of us have already mastered because we have done it to others. We can be kind to a chronically ill loved one, but we never do it ourselves.
People who have higher levels of self-compassion tend to be more motivated.
5. Recognize personal obstacles.
Overextending yourself, doing too much, and not setting personal boundaries can get in the way of self-care. If you don’t take care of yourself, this becomes a pattern. One of the 15 tips for family caregivers on how to support a chronically ill partner is to ask yourself, “What good am I to the person I care for if I get sick? If I die?” Breaking old patterns and overcoming obstacles is not an easy task, but it can be done, regardless of your age or situation. The best task for removing personal obstacles to self-care is to figure out what is getting in your way.
Unfortunately, many people view self-care as a luxury rather than a priority. Such a mindset leads them to feel overwhelmed, tired and sick.
6. Communicate.
This is probably one of the most important rules in any relationship, and it is even more important in a relationship with a chronic illness. It can often be difficult for the person supporting the other person to know how best to take care of them. Encourage your partner to be as honest as possible about how you can best support them. Often your loved one will be glad that you are interested in understanding his or her illness. But keep the conversation about the illness open to avoid distancing yourselves from each other. Relationships suffer when people don’t talk about their problems. It’s as simple as this. A lack of conversation leads to feelings of distance and a lack of intimacy. You need to try to find ways to talk openly with your partner about the things that are bothering you.
Your spouse should not judge you – we all have issues we want to resolve, including your partner. You need to find a middle ground that allows you both to express your feelings and listen to each other without judging.
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7. Try to be patient.
It’s true what they say: patience is a virtue! It’s also true when it comes to being a caregiver! There will definitely be times when it seems like you can’t go on. This is where self-care can be very helpful, so take time to breathe, meditate, walk, or eat healthy instead of taking out your frustrations on the person you are caring for. Patience shows your loved one that you value them and your relationship enough to overlook their “mistakes.”
However difficult it may be, show that you value your partner by opening up to what they bring to the relationship.
8. Don’t stop learning.
Learn as much as you can about your partner’s illness. With the proper knowledge, you can provide the best care. You can muster the courage and strength you need during difficult times. Listen to your partner talk about the physical and emotional effects of his or her disease, as well as symptoms and side effects. Read articles and books and ask other sufferers on the Internet.
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9. Remember your loved one.
The person you care about may look or seem different. She may be someone completely different and not laugh as easily as she used to, may forget things or even seem sluggish and unmotivated. You may also notice changes in yourself, which can be scary and frustrating. Remember that negative emotions can manifest themselves in unusual behaviors such as crying or even refusing to speak. However, despite these changes, try to imagine what the person you are caring for was like when they were well.
Remember that your loved one is still there in their sick body. Keep the faith!
10. Approach caregiving with your heart.
Being a caregiver is a very important job! If you let your heart guide your actions, you will have a very positive impact on your loved one’s life. Caregiving should be something you enjoy doing, not something you have to do. If you know that the person you are caring for is not a complete stranger, but your beloved partner or a member of your family, you should feel closer to them.
11. Be respectful.
This point is very simple. The person you are caring for may be physically or mentally impaired. After all, chronic illness affects mental health, but it’s important to remember that your loved one still has an opinion of their own.
Respect their opinion.
12. Be empathetic.
Try to be as empathetic as possible. Even if your loved one is unable to verbalize it, they may have a critical health issue or personal care need that you can help with.
13. Trust your ability to be a caregiver.
Have confidence in yourself, in your ability to be a caregiver. There is no perfect way to be one, there is no formula for it, perfection is not necessary. All that matters is that you do your best. There will always be some days that are better than others.
14. Know your limits.
Being a caregiver does not mean you have to respond immediately to every request or problem. If there is a problem that is not urgent and you can’t take care of it right away, take note of the request and tell your loved one that you will help them as soon as possible.
Set boundaries, it will help you both in the long run.
15. Try not to judge.
This can be hard… Remember that the person you are caring for did not choose to be chronically ill. She probably wants to be independent and feel independent. If you try to put yourself in her shoes and imagine the challenges of being sick and not being able to do what you might like to do, you will realize that you have no reason to complain. You are healthy!
Final thoughts
The number of partners caring for their chronically ill spouse is increasing. Living with a chronically ill person can be very stressful, but also rewarding. The goal of this post was to give you some tips on how to support a chronically ill partner. I hope these 15 caregiving tips have been helpful to you.
I wish you both the very best! And remember, your chronically ill loved one does not want to be defined by their illness. The more they feel like normal, healthy people, the more they will!
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We hope you enjoyed our blog post about “Chronic Diseases – 15 Tips to Support your Partner”. Please contact us at any time if you have any questions or comments.
Source:
https://www.worryhead.com/how-to-support-a-partner-with-chronic-illness/