Preventing Depresion

Caregiving is often quite depressing. Especially when your charge is terminal. My charge is, and after four years, he is on his third type of cancer; his body is starting to simply wear out. He has had over 36 rounds of chemo, a full 30 rounds of radiation, 4 months of daily IV antibiotics over an infected port and been hospitalized 10 plus times had a Y-90 to shrink liver tumors and an ablation to blast a kidney tumor. All this on top of being diabetic and A-fib with a pacemaker. His body is slowing down over all the attacks on it.

As a caregiver one of the things you will need to do for yourself is work to keep yourself from succumbing to the depression that comes so easily. How? Putting your mental health at the top of the list at least one or two days a week.

I keep a gratitude journal and that helps me focus on what’s good in my life. Try taking time for a soaking bath, or reading something uplifting, or listening to your favorite music (70s and 80s folk for me) while you do chores, doing something fun with a friend, using your good china with take out, dressing up in costumes for a dinner so you get some laughs, calling a friend that always gets you laughing, or watching a movie that is funny. I’m certain you all have things you do that help you keep your sanity in tack and your smile in place.

And the End Begins