July 13, 2018
It’s not easy dealing with stress, especially in our modern society. Just about everywhere we turn we have stress pressing down on us. It could be for a deadline at work, children arguing and fighting for independence as they move through their teenage years, broken relationships, financial issues, and more. When a family caregiver is struggling with stress and anxiety, creativity could be an answer to help them feel better, more comfortable, and relaxed.
Creativity can also help the elderly or disabled individual they are looking after.
Creativity helps people remain mentally stimulated. This is a great way to reduce stress and anxiety. The brain is the center of everything in the body, especially how it reacts to certain stimuli, including perceived or actual stressors. By increasing creative endeavors, thus boosting mental stimulation, it will help to release certain chemicals in the brain, including endorphins, that combat stress and help to increase feelings of a positive nature.
The arts are a great place to start.
Many people are naturally creative while others claim they don’t have a creative bone in their body, even though that is not necessarily true. Some individuals may simply have not discovered an outlet for their creativity. When they do, though, it can be a powerful factor in combating the stress they feel in life.
For the average family caregiver looking after an aging parent or grandparent, for example, there might be some type of creative arts of endeavor they could both pursue, thus providing benefits for more than just one individual.
Playing games can also be a great asset.
Games are not always creative in the traditional sense, but when a person has to be strategic in their approach, it is a form of creative conditioning. There could be a wide range of games this family caregiver can play, either with the senior, with friends, or other family members.
Thinking outside the box can also be a wonderful way to reduce stress.
By thinking outside the box, the traditional family caregiver may come to realize that hiring a home care aide for a couple of hours in the morning, for example, could give them the time they need to focus on getting ready for work and not arriving late.
When a family caregiver is overwhelmed with stress and anxiety, they either look for ways to reduce this, to find a pathway around it, or feel stuck. No one is stuck in these types of situations so long as they realize care aides can be a valuable asset.
