Jonquilyn Hill

According to my research, one of the best things you can do is get up and walk around.

Get your blood flowing.

Maybe call up a friend and grab a coffee or a tea.

You want to go do it?

It's Explaining to Me.

I'm JQ.

One of the things that can make caring for our loved ones in a crisis so hard is managing something called secondhand stress.

That's when you absorb the anxiety or sadness or frustration of the person you're caring for, sometimes without even realizing it.

Amy has been a caregiver for most of her life, beginning in her 20s, first for her grandparents, then later for her parents.

At one point, Amy was flying back and forth across the country to be at different doctor's appointments.

Last week, we talked about burnout at work.

And the thing about work is that it may not be ideal, but ultimately, you can walk away.

You can quit if you absolutely need to.

But with caregiving for a loved one, that's not really the case.

You can't just really walk away the way you would in another situation.

Yeah.

Like, oh, my gosh, I should have listened to my mom and not let it go below half.

And look at me now.

Keep a running list on your phone of small, specific things that someone can actually help you with.

That way, when someone offers, you're like, oh yeah, actually.