Caregiver Well-Being

Whenever we take on the responsibility of another person’s physical well-being, we adopt the role of caregiver. Whether we are parents raising children, children caring for aging parents, professionals nursing patients, or even owners taking care of their pets, finding the balance between fulfilling the needs of another’s well-being with our own can be daunting, exhausting, and fraught with judgment and criticism. How we deal with that balance depends on many things, especially on how much agency we feel we had in taking on the role, how much support we receive from others, and how long and intense our period of caregiving will be. But it’s also true that being able to support, elevate, and protect someone else’s quality of life can sometimes be the ultimate human experience of interconnectedness, joy, and love. We can explore many strategies and philosophies to help us find our purpose and peace in caring for others.