Joy - What Caregivers Need Most

When we stop to study and examine its impact, we realize that joy brings hope. When we find ourselves becoming caregivers of someone else, it can take a minute to gain our equilibrium. Caregiving often begins with little to no transition or warning. Unfortunately, this leaves a lot of caregivers feeling behind and overwhelmed from the get-go. But, ultimately, finding ways to build joy into your life as a caregiver is so important. It's a massive factor in combating caregiving strain.

The efforts to study the effects of joy within times of difficulties have been abundant. The research shows that joy and happiness levels have tremendous benefits to health at all stages of life. Of course, joy isn’t a magic solution to the struggles that caregivers and our charges face, but it should consider how we look at the quality of life for all involved in caregiving.

Caregiving Changed Me; I Viewed Others Differently

When we as caregivers can co-regulate with others and stay open and growth-minded about the care we give to our people, we get joy from strengthening relationships. When we stretch our comfort zones to encourage and brighten the day of someone that needs us, we open our capacity for relational joy. As a caregiver for my parents, I saw them in a different light. I saw their need for care and tenderness. Because I saw the difficulties of day-to-day caregiving as they had done for me so faithfully, I grew to appreciate their loving care with gratitude.

Caregiving Changed Me; I Viewed Myself Differently

Caregiving is a form of refining fire. The person you are cannot survive caregiver strain. It stretches you, grows you, rubs off, and exposes rough edges that we didn’t know we had.

Instead, that person must grow, adapt, and become more loving. Caregiving develops and molds us into better versions of ourselves when done well.

Your purpose, values, and the heart of who you are is changed by the person you give care. The image you see of yourself forces you to decide who you want to be right now. Strengths already present in yourself come to the surface and start to shift into a more functional, attentive, and purposeful version of yourself. Please know it’s okay and normal to struggle with all of these changes. Many find it beneficial to find safe co-regulators in other caregivers, in people that know the struggle you are experiencing and have grown from it.

Caregiving Changed Me – A Different Perspective

Caregiving has a way of shaping the way we view the rest of the world and giving us a change in perspective. We now see something that we once viewed through one window as a completely different shaped window.

Before, we might have looked at a struggling person with impatience; now, caregiving has shown a view of the world where brokenness makes it difficult to function even in simple tasks. As a result, we understand people's need for freedom and let them know help is right there when it's needed.

These growth places in a caregiver don’t shift overnight. They take practice!

Mountains take years to change shape. Caregiving will take time to “get right.” But, in the end, embracing the beautiful, valuable lessons that caregiving taught us transforms us.

Our hope is that we did our best to respect, honor, and build joy with our people. That being said, caregiving is a great gift and a huge responsibility. We cannot do this alone.

This need for belonging as caregivers is why Resonate Skincare was created. Know that as you take time to care for yourself as a caregiver, you belong. You are loved, and what you are doing is invaluable!

Written by Whitney Creath