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How the Easing the Burden of Care

When someone is ill, be it mentally or physically it becomes very difficult for them to manage everything. But, it is more of a difficult task for the caretaker of the person who is ill. It becomes a challenging and a very stressful task for the caretaker to care for the ill person.

Thus, for the caretaker, it can also increase the chances of extreme stress, anxiety or even depression. Also, due to this stress, the caretaker slowly moves towards a burnout. But, the caretaker is always hesitant to hand over their duties, because they feel like, no one else would be able to handle the situation efficiently as they could.

Thus, below are some tips on easing the burden of care for the caretaker:

Recharge:

While taking care of someone, it is absolutely okay to take breaks for oneself. One needs to keep their own well-being in mind while taking care of the other person. Many people refuse to take breaks because after that they feel guilty. But, there is nothing to be guilty about because it is for your own as well as their good.

Setting Limits:

While taking care of someone we often forget our own limitations. We tend to give our hundred percent to everything we do. Thus, end up creating an impossible to-do list. It’s very important to know our own limits and know what we can do and we cannot. You can also take help of a family member if you are not able to set up limits for yourself.

Proper sleep and Eating:

Often more than less, the most effective area for the caretaker is their eating and sleeping habits. While taking care of someone, we forget to take care of ourselves and many nights we are not able to sleep or usually skip a meal in a day. But, it is very important to eat a balanced meal and have proper sleep while taking care of someone. It keeps your energy recharged and you are able to focus on the caregiving process better.

Rotation of Shift:

One of the best ways to ease the burden of care is to take turns. If someone is sick, it doesn’t become your sole responsibility to take care of the person. If each family member takes turns to take care of the person then it doesn’t feel stressful for only one person. Thus, dividing the tasks and able to help the person in a much better way.

Explore other Options:

It becomes very difficult for someone to hand over the caring duties of the loved one. But, it is important to look at professional options. Also, while searching for professional options it is better the take the choices of the person receiving the care. It is also very important to do a thorough background check on the agency you are hiring. Hiring a professional will ease your stress levels and it will also help the person who is receiving the care.

It is a difficult and a very stressful task to take care of your loved ones. But, it is okay to take some respite for yourself. But, if you think you are taking care of someone and are feeling very stressed, it is not a bad option to look for professional help for yourself.

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At the end of an emotionally abusive relationship, you might feel burdened with inconclusive thoughts and overwhelming emotions. And this is absolutely acceptable. While your friends and family feel thankful for your break-up, they may not be able to understand the emotional turmoil going inside your heart and brain. But you should not carry on with toxic relationship

Let’s look at the end of an abusive relationship from the following aspects:

Mental and Emotional Health

Post being dumped by the person whom you considered to be your one and only soul mate, you might go through a roller coaster of emotions. The symptoms are often similar to that of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.
There might not be any visible scars to make it obvious that you are hurt, but the pain is similar to that of a physical injury.
You might even show obsessive behaviour, where you constantly think about your ex, your break up.
The more the covert these symptoms are, the more damage it can do to your emotional stability and the ability to overcome the trauma.

Attachment or Addiction?

When two people part their ways in a healthy way, they may feel hurt, but it does not take a psychological toll on the two persons involved. They eventually move on as a practical approach was followed to end the relationship. But in an emotionally abusive relationship, the break up isn’t as clean, rather the abuser is manipulative.
The victim might not recognize signs and develop an emotional attachment towards them.
You might re-run the events from your relationship in your mind several times throughout the day or read the old conversations.
Being with a person becomes addictive over a period of time, like an unhealthy attachment. It might seem normal and justified to the victim, but this really hampers their emotional well-being.

Moving on!

The first step to moving on is to accept your situation. A few things that you could do to overcome such a relationship are:

Take care of your emotions

Repairing your emotions requires great efforts. When you get abandoned by someone you are so addicted to, it affects your self-esteem negatively. You can feel used and discarded, angry and isolated. Instead of suppressing and being a home to them, it is very important that you accept and acknowledge your emotions. Recognize how you feel. You can make a journal about the same. If you feel like crying or screaming, do that.

Pen it down

At times it might be difficult for you to talk about your broken relationship and what all you went through in that. But it is important to express in order to heal. To start with, you can keep a journal of your thoughts and emotions, gradually opening up about it verbally.

Confide in Close ones

You can always count on your close friends and families when you feel the need to. Surround yourself with people. Avoid isolating yourself with your thoughts all the time.

Cut-off contact with the abuser

You need to cut off the contact with your ex. Being vulnerable might drag you to his doors, but this would be unhealthy. It is important to maintain a distance when you part ways with your abuser. You may feel a pull towards him, but remember it is unhealthy for your mental health if you remain connected to him.

Do not stalk

It may seem like a nice idea to keep a tab on your ex by stalking him on social media or keeping in touch with his friends. But this is not ideal. You must focus investing your time and energy on yourself rather than knowing about his whereabouts.

Postpone important decisions

In the times, when you are emotionally unstable it is better to not make any important life decisions, which may affect your future. Let yourself feel and heal for some time first.

Practice patience

For a physical injury to heal there is always a defined set of medicines and treatment method that one follows and gets okay. But for an emotional setback, you need to give yourself time. Every person takes their own time to get out of an emotional difficulty. Focus on your progress.

Seek Help

If your emotions are way out of control and are hindering with your daily life, you should seek for some professional help. In the times, when we are vulnerable, we might not be in the right state of mind to be emotionally efficient. A bit of advice about situation and lifestyle changes by a professional can prove to be of great help.

Are you in a healthy relationship? Have you been a victim of emotional abuse?

Call us for 15 minutes of free counselling at +91=9069069069.

We have all seen the movie Black, where Amitabh Bachchan acts as a professor who is suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. The movie provided us with very good entertainment. But, it also taught us a bit about the illness. It also provided us with a fear, where we start thinking what if we get this illness. The usual response is, that we can hope for the best of not getting this illness. But, there are certain things you can do to reduce the risk of Alzheimer.

Hence, below are few Tips on reducing the risk of Alzheimer:

Regular Exercise:

It’s very important to exercise regularly. Exercising keeps the body and mind engaged and active. It is medically proven that regular exercise reduces the risk of the illness 50%. Exercising keeps the mind co-ordinated with the motor functions. Also, it helps you stay focused and keeps an active engagement with the mind. But, make sure while exercising you don’t receive any head injuries.

Social Life:

It’s important to have a social life. A person cannot live in isolation as human beings are social creatures. Listening to someone and then being heard by someone validates our existence. Isolating oneself from everyone increases the chance of Alzheimer’s. The chances are increased because you are telling your brain to isolate yourself. Thus, it is important to engage with people. You don’t have to be surrounded by people all the time. But, talking with a loved one or a close person is an engagement enough to stimulate the brain.

Eat-Healthy Diet:

In this illness, the brain neurons start losing connections between them. Thus, making communication between the cells more difficult. By having a healthy and proper diet, it is possible to reduce the amount of disconnection between the cells and the brain. Vitamin D, E B12 and other supplements in food reduce the level of disconnection. Eating healthy fruits and green vegetables should comprise in your diet. Try reducing fatty foods and sugar intake.

Mental Stimulation:

Keeping the brain active throughout helps in prevention of the illness. There is always a necessity of mental stimulation. When the mind is constantly challenged and stimulated there is constant activity within the brain. Through which the brains are active and help in preventing the illness. To have mental stimulation, you can learn a new word every day, or start playing sudoku, or start practising writing with the less dominant hand, etc.

Good Sleep:

Having a good sleep refreshes your mind and enables you to accept new information. People suffering from Alzheimer’s illness suffers from a lot of sleep-related problems. Hence, having good and proper sleep helps in the prevention of the illness. Having a good and deep sleep rests your mind and body, which not only helps with prevention of this illness but also helps in prevention and cure of other illnesses.

Also, read our blog on getting a Razor sharp memory

Stress Level Check:

Constant worrying and stress escalate the process of the illness. Thus, it is necessary for you to keep a check on the stress levels. Stress management and relaxation exercises help in reduction and prevention of the illness. Thus, simple exercises like deep breathing, walking in the park etc, reduces stress.

The above tips can help in the prevention of the illness. Also, these tips can actually help you lead a happy and healthy life.

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Restless Leg Syndrome or RLS is a very common neurological disorder of the leg. A lot of people happen to suffer from this without even knowing or understanding what is happening. In RLS the person starts facing an uncontrollable urge to move their legs, which is due to an uncomfortable sensation.

Restless Leg typically happens during evening or night time, when the person is trying to rest by sitting or lying down. Hence, moving the leg helps in temporary relief. It can happen to anyone of any age, regardless of gender. Also, it can worsen as the person starts ageing. In extreme cases, it can also cause insomnia.

Symptoms of Restless Leg Syndrome:

Along with the general urge to move the leg and uncomfortable feeling, below are few other symptoms of restless leg syndrome:

Sensations of Leg:

The sensations in the leg usually happen after a period of rest. That is when someone is sitting for a long time or lying down.

Movement Gives Relief:

A person who is suffering from RLS experiences relief from the sensations when the person starts moving their leg. Hence, walking, jiggling your legs, pacing or pacing reduces the irritation.

Worsens in the Evening:

The symptoms usually start getting worse during the evening and night time.

Leg Twitching in Night:

This symptom is often overlapped with another condition known as periodic limb movement of sleep, which makes your leg to twitch or kick throughout the night.

People experiencing this syndrome often are unable to describe the feeling they face. It is not muscle cramps or numbness in the leg but an uncomfortable sensation. However, the sensations occur in the arms very less.

People who face this often describe these feelings as:

• Creeping
• Crawling
• Throbbing
• Pulling
• Itching
• Electric
• Aching

People often complain of a desire to move their legs. Also, it is very common that these symptoms disappear for a period of time and then come back again.

The causes for this syndrome are yet many, hence it can happen due to many reasons. It can range from the weakening of nerves, hereditary, pregnancy, excess smoking or even some serious diseases such as Parkinson’s disease. Also, in extreme cases, it can cause insomnia because of the uncontrollable sensations.

Most of the times people don’t visit doctors to get it checked because they think they will be ridiculed for it. But, it can be an indication of something serious. Hence, if you or someone you know is suffering from RLS, then please visit a professional immediately.

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Adequate sleep is a prerequisite for one to function optimally. Inadequate sleep not only has an adverse impact on one’s brain functioning but also affects one’s physical health by making one more prone to illnesses such as heart diseases, hypertension, diabetes etc. Lack of sleep also makes one moody and irritable, reduces productivity, and causes cognitive impairment.

On an average, it takes an individual 10-20 minutes to fall asleep. Anything more than that suggests a problem, and anything less than that suggests that a person has sleep deprivation. Unless you are suffering from a disorder that is the cause behind your wakefulness, anxiety is usually the cause of your trouble falling asleep. Anxiety inhibits you from achieving a relaxed mind and body state that aids one in falling asleep. Therefore, one can try the following methods to beat the anxiety around not being able to sleep, and fall asleep faster:

1. Hide your clock

Continuously looking at the clock and seeing how much sleep you are missing out on, only increases your anxiety and stress, thus making it harder to fall asleep.

2. Forcibly try to stay awake

The harder you try to sleep, the more difficult it seems to get. Thus, although this might not be a long-term solution, one can use reverse psychology and force oneself to stay awake. A study done on this found that this paradoxical intention actually helped the participants who had sleep onset insomnia, fall asleep faster.

3. Cool your room

When you are about to fall asleep, your body temperature lowers a little. This slows down your metabolism and helps you fall asleep. Therefore, ensure that your room is at a comfortably cool temperature. A temperature of 15-23 degrees Celsius is recommended, but this may vary as per person.

4. Take a hot shower before going to bed

Taking a hot shower and then going to a cool room helps bring down your body temperature more quickly.

5. Use the 4-7-8 breathing technique

The 4-7-8 breathing method is said to help relax your body by increasing your oxygen intake and carbon dioxide release and slowing your heart rate. Given below are the steps for it:

• Breathe out through your mouth, making a whoosh sound.
• Now, close your mouth and breathe in through your nose, till the count of four.
• Hold your breath until the count of seven.
• Now, breathe out making a whoosh sound as you count till eight.
• Repeat this cycle at least thrice.

6. Make sure your circadian rhythm is on track

Follow a schedule so your body becomes habitual to falling asleep at a certain time. Experience both light and darkness so that your body’s internal clock is not disrupted.

7. Relax your body

Practice yoga, meditation, mindfulness, guided imagery, progressive relaxation, and breathing exercises to help calm and relax your body. Listening to calming music or using aromatherapy can also help relax your mind and body.

8. What not to eat and drink

Avoid foods high on carb before going to sleep, as they are said to have a detrimental effect on one’s sleep. High-fat foods, on the other hand, are said to promote sleep. Do not consume any form of caffeine at least six hours prior to your sleep time.

9. Exercise

Some form of physical exercise will help exhaust your body which will help you fall asleep faster. By increasing the production of serotonin and decreasing the level of cortisol in one’s body, exercising can help improve the quality as well as the quantity of one’s sleep. However, it is essential that one does not go overboard with it. The timing also matters. Exercising in the morning is said to be more beneficial than exercising during the evening.

10. Give yourself acupressure

Giving yourself acupressure on certain spots (between the eyebrows, between first and second toe, and ears) is said to alleviate sleeplessness.

11. Make yourself comfortable

An uncomfortable mattress is often the reason behind a poor night’s sleep. Thus, make sure you have a comfortable mattress and pillow.

12. Keep away all electronic devices

Most electronic devices emit blue light which is said to delay one’s sleep and also have a detrimental effect on one’s quality of sleep as well.

If you or someone you know is experiencing problems in falling asleep, please consult an experienced psychologist to rule out any mental health issues.

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Insomnia is a sleeping disorder that involves trouble with falling asleep or staying asleep. We all have days when we find it hard to fall asleep, or wake up sooner than we had planned on. This can happen due to several reasons such as being extremely stressed or physically exhausted. While this problem is known as transient insomnia as it is experienced for some time and does not have long-lasting negative impacts on one’s health and well-being, chronic insomnia is when one starts to have such nights at least three nights a week for over a period three months or more. Chronic insomnia can be a result of environmental, psychological and/or physical issues. Here we give you 7 Signs you have Insomnia.

Mentioned below are symptoms of insomnia –

• Trouble falling asleep.
• Difficulty staying asleep. Waking up in the midst of the night and then having trouble falling back asleep.
• Waking up early in morning.
• Not feeling fresh after sleeping (known as non-restorative sleep). Experiencing low energy or fatigue most of the time.
• Difficulty in concentrating, retaining or remembering information.

  

• Feeling irritable, acting impulsively or aggressively.
• Lack of muscle coordination, slowing down of reflexes, and headaches.

Identify signs of insomnia that you may have using the following tips –

• Assess how long it takes you to fall asleep.
• Monitor your sleep. If you wake up in the midst of the night, note down the time. See how many hour of continuous sleep you are getting.
• See if you don’t feel well-rested and refreshed after sleeping, or feel tired during the day.

  

• Monitor for mood changes. Make sure your insomnia is not the result of some other psychological disorder such as anxiety or depression.

As a result of these cognitive impairments, mood disturbances, and behavioral problems, one might face trouble not just at school or work, but also in one’s personal life. Other than affecting one’s productivity, insomnia can affect one’s relationships and enjoyment of life as well.

If left untreated, over time insomnia can have negative effects on one’s general overall health, making one more prone to illnesses such as heart diseases, obesity, diabetes and hypertension. If you too are experiencing chronic insomnia, then make sure you seek professional help.

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Incidents like an older, taller boy troubling the shorter boy of his class or a junior by snatching away his tiffin or tripping him are fairly common.

We have all been a part of bullying at some point in our childhood. Whether it was as a survivor, a perpetrator or a bystander. Although these incidents in retrospect or from a distance may seem very trivial, bullying is a very serious act that can have grave consequences both in the short-term as well as the long-term for the survivor as well as the perpetrator. Possible effects for all three parties involved are mentioned below –

For the Survivor

• Bunking or dropping out of school
• Social and emotional withdrawal
• Loss of self-confidence
• Having nightmares; trouble falling asleep
• Loss of appetite
• Adverse impact on academic performance
• Loss of interest in pleasurable activities
• Anger outbursts
• Developing mental health problems such as anxiety disorders, depression or PTSD as a result of the trauma experienced in extreme cases
• Engaging in self-harm
• Increased risk of committing suicide

Dr Prerna Kohli India’s Top Psychologist Talks about Effects of Childhood Bullying

For the Perpetrator

• Difficulty forming relationships due to lack of empathy or style of relating with others
• Engaging in high-risk behaviors
• Increased risk of substance abuse and also developing an antisocial personality disorder

For the Bystander

• Increased risk of substance abuse
• Constant fear of becoming the target, therefore skipping school
• Increased risk of developing an anxiety disorder or depression

It is important to realize that a bystander makes an active choice when he/she decides not to do anything about witnessing bullying. They then are doing any one of the following three things – 1) they are either choosing to ignore the situation because it does not affect them directly, 2) they are too scared to report the matter, 3) they are actually deriving sadistic pleasure by seeing someone else suffer. Not intervening when one witnesses bullying is a way of encouraging the bully to carry on with his behavior. Whichever be the case, observing and not intervening in such situations is not only the wrong thing to do but also has harmful effects on the bystander.

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“One good thing about music, when it hits you, you feel no pain!” ~Bob Marley

No matter what your emotional state is, I’m sure you must have observed that there is always some kind of music that just perfectly blends with your mood.

Various researchers too now provide a scientific backing to the positive effects of music on mental health that people claim. Not only does music help ease our pain, it has several other mental and physical health benefits as well. Read on to discover them –

• Music helps reduce the perceived intensity of pain.
• Fast and upbeat music increases your workout motivation and endurance. That is probably why a lot of gyms have music playing in them.

  

• Helps the body recover faster after a session of workout.

• Playing soft music in the background while having a meal reduces your speed of eating.

• Consequently, this reduces the amount of food you consume. This can probably be attribued to the fact that when eating slow, one is more mindful of what and how much they eat.

• It makes you feel happier by enhancing the blood flow in your vessels.

• It improves your sleep quality and helps reduce symptoms of insomnia.
• By releasing biochemicals that are meant for stress reduction, music helps you relieve your stress and also deal with symptoms of anxiety.
• Slow rhythmic music can alter brainwave patterns in a manner that produces a state similar to that while meditating.
• While heavy metal music might have an adverse effect on your depression, the right kind of music can uplift your mood and reduce symptoms of depression.
• Not only does listening to music make you more aware and in touch with your feelings, but it also promotes mood regulation.
• It helps improve your performance on cognitive tasks by increasing your ability to concentrate.
• Music helps you stay cool in high-pressure situations by decreasing your respiratory and heart rate. Thus, when stuck in traffic, or when going to play a game under a lot of pressure, turn up the music to calm yourself down.
• Music therapy is used to treat a lot of mental disorders such as Schizophrenia, Alzheimer, Dementia, Autism, Depression, Anxiety etc.

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As the board exams, the competitive exams come close, the level of stress increases. Students try to sleep but, there is a lack of sleep. Sometimes, the stress becomes too much which causes a lot of anxiety. Even though there is a need for certain levels of stress, too much or too low of anything is bad. here we talk about some tips to Handle Pre Exam Stress.

Hence, below are few tips on how to handle Pre-Exam- Stress:

Start Early:

The early bird gets the worm. Similarly, starting to study early reduces the level of stress. Even though it is a difficult task for many students to start early, but it is one of the best ways to beat the stress.

Time-Table:

Organizing yourself is one of the best things one can do. Thus, maintaining a timetable will help you to be focused. Also, it will help you determine your long-term and short-term goals. It gives you an overview on how to do things while helping you focus.

Talking About it:

Sometimes, the stress and anxiety get out of hand. In this situation, it is best to talk to someone. Talking about it not only reduces stress but, it also helps you distinguish between rational and irrational thoughts.

Visualization:

The power of visualization helps. If you focus and visualize towards your success, it will help you relax. Visualization helps in boosting one’s confidence. Also, it helps in reducing stress. If you are focused on your vision, it boosts your confidence.

Don’t Forget to Relax:

It’s very important to keep relaxation in your time-table. Relaxing techniques and proper sleep helps the mind to remove the extra stress. It reduces the levels of anxiety and helps the person to focus. Relaxation works as a rejuvenating agent.

Don’t Depend on Caffeine:

Many students and even adults rely on caffeine too much. They actually take a lot of caffeine too keep themselves awake. But, in reality, the caffeine doesn’t help them in remembering. It increases the mental stimulus which then can result in extreme levels of anxiety.

Practice:

Lastly, as the old saying goes, ‘practice makes a man perfect’. Similarly, it’s very important to practice every day. Practicing everyday will help you remember, as well as relax. So, when you sit for your paper, you are actually focused and relaxed.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the stress created by exams is more external than internal. But, if you follow these tips, they can actually help you fight pre-exam stress. But, if you or someone you know is showing extreme amounts of stress or anxiety, then please visit a professional near you.

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It’s very natural to feel sad from time to time. It’s a part of our human nature, and to feel is what makes us human. But, when the sadness reaches its extremes, and there is a sense of hopelessness, we fall down to Depression. Depression comes with its own symptoms, and one of the major symptoms is problems during sleep.

Many people will have lack of sleep, or insomnia while some can even have an excess of sleep. But, with depression, one will have trouble in sleeping.

Thus, below are few tips which can help you sleep better during the depression:

Bedroom for Sleeping:

A Bedroom is usually a place for distraction. People tend to engage in different activities or usually spend most of their time on the cell phone. The bedroom is full of distractions and different activities. Hence, trying to sleep among these distractions becomes very difficult. Thus, it is necessary to keep the bedroom only for sleeping and relaxing. To help you sleep, you can start playing “white noise” and make sure the room is dark. It will help your body and mind relax.

Keep a Schedule:

While suffering from depression, it’s very difficult to indulge in any activity. Hence, keeping a schedule helps. Similarly, it’s very important to keep a bedtime schedule. It’s a difficult task to go to bed at the same time and wake up at the same time every day. But, once you manage to achieve a bedtime schedule, your mind will automatically start to relate the schedule to your body. Hence, making it easier to fall asleep.

Create a Routine:

Also, there is a necessity of a bedtime routine along with a bedtime schedule. Before going to bed, you should start building a routine which relaxes your body. One-hour before bedtime you should stop doing any stressful activity and try and relax your body. It’s also important that you keep any device, electronic away from you. The light emitted from the screens increases the level of stress. It’s always good to read a relaxing book before bed.

Start Exercising:

It’s very difficult to work when you are suffering from depression. But, it is required that you start exercising. Exercise helps the body to relieve stress and gives an outlet to your suppressed emotions. Also, exercising regularly keeps the body engaged. Thus, when you go to sleep, your body is already tired and it then is easier to sleep.

Go Out Regularly:

Depression is a very tough situation. It locks the body, and one doesn’t feel like going outside. But, a daily stroll in the park or even standing on the balcony facing the sun helps a lot. The Vitamin-D given by the Sun helps elevate mood. It’s scientifically proven that there is a direct relationship between mood and weather. Thus, to go out and facing the sun helps in mood elevation. Which then leads to better sleep.

It’s very difficult to actually implement the steps which are written above. Depression is an illness which takes a huge toll on a person. But, implementing them can actually help you to fall asleep. Also, if you or someone you know someone who is suffering from depression, please contact a professional immediately.

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