Caregivers, How to Know If You’re Stressed Out

Caregiver stress sneaks up on you

Caring for an older adult is a tough job that naturally causes a lot of stress. But a big problem with caregiver stress is that many caregivers don’t realize how stressed they truly are.

That’s because stress is sneaky and often creeps up on you. It can do significant damage to your body and mind before you even notice.

To prevent stress from building up unnoticed, we found a quick, free quiz from Health in Aging that helps you understand your stress levels.

We explain why knowing your stress level is important, how to take the quiz, and how to use the quiz results to reduce stress.

Why it’s important to know your level of stress

Caregivers often say “It’s ok, I’m fine, I can handle it.” or “My friend Joan is in a much more difficult situation.” Most of us are in denial about how much stress really affects us.

There’s a story that says if you put a frog into a boiling pot of water, it will jump out immediately. But, if you put the frog in a pot of cold water and slowly raise the temperature, it won’t even notice the heat until it’s cooked.

Many caregivers are like the frog in the story.

Caregiving tasks, responsibilities, and stress levels increase over time. You don’t even notice until you’re completely overwhelmed, burned out, and suffering physically.

To avoid being boiled alive like the frog, it’s important to be aware of stress levels and how they’re changing over time.

That way, if you notice that your stress is higher than it used to be or it’s already off the charts, you’ll know when it’s critical to arrange a respite break or find additional caregiving help.

This quick quiz measures your stress level

Health in Aging’s 18-question stress quiz is a simple, fast way to keep an eye on stress levels.

The quiz has 16 simple Yes / No questions about your situation and 2 basic questions about your current stress level and health.

It’s important to answer these questions honestly. This is for your eyes only and helps you understand the reality of your situation.

How to use your quiz results to reduce stress

Your answers to the quiz questions help you figure out which issues you need help with or what’s bothering you most.

For example, if you notice that many of your “Yes” answers are related to things like loneliness, overwhelm, irritability, and struggling with decisions, you might decide to join a caregiver support group, read books about coping with caregiver stress, and make it a point to call a supportive friend at least twice a week.

Taking this test regularly helps you monitor stress and is a concrete way to see how helpful recent changes have been.

Keep your tests so you can compare your scores over time to see if your stress levels are increasing, decreasing, or staying the same.

Next Step  Take the fast, free Caregiver Stress quiz from Health in Aging (PDF)

Recommended for you:

• Caring for the Caregiver: 6 Ways to Get Help and Improve Your Health
• 5 Coping Tips for the Overwhelmed Caregiver
• 3 Sources of Affordable Counseling Services to Reduce Caregiver Stress

By DailyCaring Editorial Team
Image: Gold Age Australia

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About the Author

Connie Chow

Connie was a hands-on caregiver for her grandmother for 20 years. (Grandma made it to 101 years old!) She knows how challenging, overwhelming, and all-consuming caring for an older adult can be. She also knows how important support is — especially in the form of practical solutions, valuable resources, and self-care tips.