Dr. Tara Narula

What's happening on the inside, you're dialing everything down, but also you're making choices that are also helping you be healthier and lower your stress response.

If you exercise, you're decreasing your stress, right?

If you sleep more, you're turning down a lot of these hormones.

So it all goes hand in hand.

I talk to my patients about sitting down with a therapist and many times they say, well, I don't have anxiety or I'm not depressed.

I'm just caregiving and I'm under stress.

And I say, that's enough.

That's enough of a reason to sit down with someone you can just download on.

Somebody objective who can be there for you so you can just let go of your thoughts because that in and of itself will lower your stress.

You are allowed to spend an hour a week or once every two weeks talking to someone who's in your corner to help you.

So therapy can be just to help you through a stressful time.

Maybe you don't do it forever, but do it while you're in this period of stress to help you get through the caregiving journey.

And then people are really surprised when I say they're like, really?

I managed to see a therapist for that?

Yes.

Yes, you absolutely should.

Yes.

I love exercise.

So for me, finding a way to get my heart rate up and exercise and move my body is my stress relief.

So I find time to carve that out.