By definition, a caregiver is anyone who provides physical, emotional or social support to someone in need — whether in a professional or informal capacity. Healthcare workers are considered caregivers in the formal sense, but a great number of caregivers are not employed in any formal capacity. These are the people who care for relatives, spouses, or friends on an unpaid basis. They also make up the majority of caregivers in the United States — with more than 50 million Americans working as unpaid caregivers to friends or family members, according to a 2020 survey.
Informal caregivers play a crucial role in supporting the health and well-being of those in need and often make sacrifices to provide care. After all, caregiving is no easy job — most people in this position do not have professional training or access to specialized equipment, and they must constantly balance the requirements of caregiving with the demands of everyday life.
What it takes to be a caregiver
If you self-identify as a caregiver, you know the demands that can go into the job, but you also know the rewards. Caregiving provides a sense of purpose, fosters personal growth and strengthens the relationship you have with the person you’re caring for. The best days are happy and fulfilling, but other days can feel stressful and overwhelming. The latter is especially common if you get so wrapped up in your duties that you start to ignore your own well-being. If you find this to be the case, you’re not alone.
According to a recent study by AARP, 23% of caregivers say that their own health has become worse due to the demands of looking after someone else. On top of the physical burden, there can be serious financial demands that make matters worse. AARP surveys also show that the majority of caregivers have to spend their own money in providing care, and about half of the caregivers report serious financial setbacks.
Along with the pressures of health and finances, caregiving can take an emotional toll from day to day. All of this stress can add up quickly, and caregivers who don’t have enough support may find themselves feeling burned out over time.
What is caregiver burnout?
Caregiver burnout is a prolonged state of exhaustion that can build up due to the demands of caring for another person. Although feelings of fatigue and worry are considered some of the standard emotional swings of caregiving, burnout is characterized by long-term feelings of stress that produce physical, emotional and mental health effects.
As a caregiver, you may sometimes neglect your own health needs in favor of the person you’re looking after, but experiencing burnout will make you even more likely to suffer negative health effects. In addition, the exhaustion that comes with burnout makes it more difficult to provide quality care, so the person you care for might also suffer. If you let the stress build, you may also find additional impacts on relationships with family and friends
The consequences of burnout
Caregiver burnout is a serious problem and it’s widespread. Surveys from 2021 indicate that nearly half of the caregivers experience depression, mood swings or feelings of resentment due to the demands of their role. In this same survey, a similar proportion of people say that caregiving has negatively impacted their relationship with a spouse or partner.
These are real consequences of burnout that can happen to anyone, but feelings of burnout might build up slowly over time, and they aren’t always easy to identify at first. That’s why, as a caregiver, it’s important to examine your own situation and deal with any symptoms of burnout before the stress gets out of control.
Caregiver burnout vs. compassion fatigue
Compassion fatigue is another problem that relates to caregivers, but it’s somewhat distinct from caregiver burnout. While burnout is a form of chronic stress due to a demanding job, compassion fatigue is a form of traumatic stress disorder that results from high exposure to other people’s trauma. It’s associated with feelings of hopelessness, pessimism and loss of empathy along with difficulty in carrying out day-to-day tasks.
Compassion fatigue is considered an occupational hazard because it often affects professionals in fields like psychology, healthcare, emergency response or child services. However, even family members caring for a loved one could experience compassion fatigue in cases of extreme burnout. Because of this, you must identify and treat burnout before it progresses too far.
Causes of caregiver burnout
Burnout happens when the difficulties of caregiving all add up and start to become overwhelming. The particular challenges will be different depending on the individual and their situation, but common stressors include:
- Emotional demands of looking after a loved one
- Difficulty separating roles as caregiver and relative, spouse or friend
- Workload of providing frequent attention and help
- Constantly learning about health conditions and methods of care
- Balancing time between caregiving, work, other family responsibilities and personal time
- Lack of privacy or personal space at home
- Neglecting one’s own health and personal needs in favor of caregiving
- Financial burdens of healthcare
Burnout can happen to anyone in a caregiving role, but the risk is highest for those who lack social support and don’t have sufficient financial resources. Caregivers with their own health conditions that need attention may also experience difficulties, especially if caring for someone with complex needs.
How to recognize burnout
Even if you mostly enjoy your labor of love in caring for a family member, it’s possible to experience stress that builds up slowly and becomes less bearable with time. In addition, potential burnout is always possible from the ever-increasing demands that come with declining health, or with other conflicting factors in your life.
For these reasons, you must recognize the symptoms of burnout in yourself or in anyone with whom you share caregiving responsibilities. The signs are often related to emotional and mental health, but can easily spill over into physical effects as well.
Emotional signs
The first signs of burnout are usually mental and emotional, and they are similar to the feelings of general stress or anxiety. These symptoms may include:
- Pervasive feelings of unease or sadness
- Unpredictable mood swings
- Feeling irritable, easily frustrated or otherwise upset
- Constant worry, apprehension or fear
- Frequent nervousness
- Strong sense of self-doubt or low self-esteem
- Difficulty remembering or concentrating
- Feeling out of control
- Tendencies toward substance abuse
- Loss of interest in activities you typically enjoy
Remember that a certain amount of emotional drain is expected with caregiving. If you begin to feel like you can’t recover from day to day, however, that could be a sign that the demands of the job are becoming too much.
Physical signs
Along with the emotional signs, many people experience physical symptoms of burnout. These may occur either before or after emotional signs become detectable, and everyone’s body reacts differently to stress. Here are some common physical effects, which may be constant or intermittent in their occurrence:
- Muscle tension or spasms
- Tightness or pain in the chest
- Headaches or body pain
- High blood pressure
- Irregular heartbeat
- Difficulty sleeping
- More constant or more severe fatigue
- Stomach pain or digestive problems
- Rapid weight loss or gain
- Hair falling out
- Getting sick more often, or other signs of a weakened immune system
- Feeling like it’s hard to get out of bed each day
Any of these physical signs could also be indicators of different and possibly serious medical issues, so if you start to suffer from any of them it’s best to consult a doctor. However, burnout symptoms can be improved through stress management for the most part.
Preventing caregiver burnout
The first step to managing caregiver burnout, ideally, is preventing it in the first place. Although you can never prevent all the challenges that come with caregiving, you can choose to focus on the positives and be intentional about reducing your stress. Here are some strategies for doing so:
- Strive for a positive mindset each day.
- Remind yourself daily why you care so much about your friend or loved one.
- Keep up with your other family and social connections, spending time with friends whenever you can.
- Find opportunities to get extra help.
- Know your limits and set boundaries.
- Schedule time into each day or each week when you can relax or pursue a hobby instead of working or giving care.
- Set realistic goals for future accomplishments.
- Learn to recognize the signals of unhealthy stress that your body is telling you.
Similar to dealing with any work-related stress, preventing caregiver burnout often involves pursuing the same techniques that can help in other areas of your life as well. Even so, the creeping feelings of burnout are sometimes inevitable as time goes on.
Coping with feelings of burnout
If you start to recognize symptoms of burnout building up, you may need to employ more coping strategies to keep the stress from ballooning into full-fledged exhaustion. Try these additional stress management techniques for dealing with feelings of caregiver burnout:
- Learn what methods of self-care work best for you and practice them daily.
- Prioritize your own needs and priorities regularly.
- Give yourself permission to take breaks more often.
- Seek out help with caregiving, from people you know or from professional services.
- Don’t be afraid to delegate certain tasks to friends or other family members.
- Work on generally better health habits such as eating well, spending time in nature and prioritizing sleep.
- Validate your feelings by talking openly with a trusted friend about how you feel.
- Consult with a therapist to work on new methods for coping and generally improving your mental health.
These coping strategies might require a little extra effort on your part — at least at first. Don’t let that small investment stop you though — because the payoff, in the long run, can be immense. The same goes for any money you can invest in your mental health. Therapy doesn’t have to be expensive, and the benefits of professional help can be invaluable.
Treating caregiver burnout
If, after trying all of the strategies outlined above, you still struggle each day, it may be time for a more drastic change. When you are truly burned out and the burden is just too much, you should really look for extra help before the situation gets worse.
When caregiver burnout gets out of control, everyone involved suffers harm. If your own mental or physical health begins to decline, then the health of the person you’re caring for suffers as well.
Other people in your life can also be affected — coworkers, friends and other family members may all feel the strain if your role becomes overwhelming. For your own sake and the good of those around you, seek help sooner rather than later.
How to get help
Remember that it’s always okay to ask for help, but it’s also true that sometimes the burden of caregiving is simply too much. When this happens, you might still have further options depending on your unique situation:
- Ask another family member or friend to split the responsibility of caregiving with you. This is not always easy to do, but the effort of asking and teaching someone else to share your roles can pay off immensely in the long run.
- Find a caregiver support group — online or in your local community. These are groups that can provide information, emotional support and additional resources for informal caregivers.
- Talk with your employer about family and medical leave options. You may be able to take some time off and keep your health benefits.
- Examine your finances and insurance benefits to see if you can afford short-term respite care to give yourself a break. Sometimes taking just one restorative mental health day can go a long way to recharging your body and mind.
- Consider long-term care possibilities for your friend or loved one in need. There are various options for part-time or full-time help, both home-based and at housing facilities.
- Talk to a doctor who specializes in burnout and chronic stress. They may be able to help you with additional methods of coping that make it possible to continue giving care.
Pursuing any of these options may feel like a significant barrier to surmount, especially in terms of finances. Just remember that the consequences of burnout can themselves be quite severe, so seeking help is almost always worth it. Luckily, you can also seek out support organizations that can provide additional support — some of them might even be able to help with the financial costs of care.
Additional resources for caregivers
Here are some organizations and online resources for more information and for getting real help with the daily demands of caregiving.
- Family Caregiver Alliance: A nonprofit that provides online support groups and connections with support in your local community.
- Paying for Long-Term Care: An article from the National Institute on Aging about government programs and other resources that can help with healthcare costs.
- AARP Family Caregiving: Online resource center for informal caregivers.
- Caregiver Life Balance: Additional resource from AARP with tips for dealing with stress and a list of organizations that can help.
- Eldercare Locator: Public service by the U.S. Administration on Aging that connects services for older adults and their families.
- Call 211: Dialing 211 will connect you to local United Way services, which may be able to help you get extra resources for caregiving.
- Aging Life Care Association: Nonprofit organization dedicated to caring for older adults or others facing ongoing health challenges.
- Alzheimer’s Association: Help resources for caregivers of people with Alzheimer’s or dementia.
- Alzheimers.gov: Government resources for caregivers of people with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias.
- Cancer.org Caregiver Resource Guide: Help for cancer caregivers from the American Cancer Society
- CancerCare Resources for Caregivers: List of books and other media to help caregivers better cope with their loved one’s cancer.
- NCI Resources for Caregivers: Information and support services from the National Cancer Institute (NCI).
You can likely find additional resources from friends, organizations and health professionals in your local community as well. Getting support is often the best thing you can do to treat caregiver burnout, so be honest about when you need assistance, and don’t ever hesitate to reach out for help.