{"id":146601,"date":"2026-06-15T21:07:16","date_gmt":"2026-06-16T02:07:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sleepyeyeonline.com\/goodnews\/?p=146601"},"modified":"2026-06-15T21:07:16","modified_gmt":"2026-06-16T02:07:16","slug":"family-living-focus-nip-caregiver-depression-in-the-bud-warning-signs-to-look-for","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sleepyeyeonline.com\/goodnews\/family-living-focus-nip-caregiver-depression-in-the-bud-warning-signs-to-look-for\/","title":{"rendered":"Family Living Focus: Nip Caregiver Depression in the Bud: Warning Signs to Look For"},"content":{"rendered":"

Gail Gilman, Family Life Consultant, M.Ed., C.F.C.S. and Professor<\/em>
\nEmeritus, University of Minnesota<\/em><\/p>\n

While caregivers are defined as the people taking care of those who need
\nhelp, they sometimes overlook the fact that caregiving responsibilities can
\ntake a toll on their own health.<\/p>\n

In addition to physical ailments, caregivers are at risk for depression.
\nDepression can strike anyone, at any age.\u00a0 Caregivers need to be especially
\naware of depression because of the great load they carry.\u00a0 Many caregivers
\nwork at a full-time job and take care of a family in addition to their
\ncaregiving responsibilities.\u00a0 They often sacrifice their own health,
\nwell-being, and social life in order to do everything that needs to be done.<\/p>\n

One common denominator among caregivers is the desire and the belief that
\nthey must do everything themselves.\u00a0 Often, caregivers do not ask for help,
\nopting instead to inadvertently play the part of the martyr.\u00a0 This leads the
\ncaregiver to become overwhelmed, and an overwhelmed person is fertile ground
\nfor depression to dig in and take root.<\/p>\n

The great strain caregivers face on a daily basis can lead to depression.
\nOne way to stop depression before it strikes is to be aware of the warning
\nsigns.<\/p>\n

Below are some red flags that depression might be creeping in:<\/p>\n

*\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Sad, discouraged mood
\n*\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Persistent pessimism about the present, future and the past
\n*\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Loss of interest in work, hobbies, social life, and sex
\n*\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Difficulty in making decisions
\n*\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Lack of energy and feeling slowed down
\n*\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Restlessness and irritability
\n*\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Loss of appetite and loss of weight
\n*\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Disturbed sleep, especially early morning waking
\n*\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Depressive, gloomy, or desolate dreams
\n*\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Suicidal thoughts<\/p>\n

If you feel yourself exhibiting these behaviors, do not discount them.\u00a0 They
\nshould be taken as seriously as you might treat a fever that will not go
\naway or a persistent cough.<\/p>\n

Following are some tips on what caregivers in particular can do to stop
\ndepression before it gets out of control:<\/p>\n

Talk regularly with family, friends, or mental health professionals.\u00a0 It is
\nvery important that you do not isolate yourself.\u00a0 Join a local support group
\nor find one online.\u00a0 Share your feelings so they do not build up and
\nescalate into problems.<\/p>\n

Set limits.\u00a0 This can be hard for caregivers, because they are used to
\ntaking on everything that needs to be done.\u00a0 It is okay to say no to taking
\non more than you can handle.<\/p>\n

Eat nutritiously, exercise regularly and get enough sleep.\u00a0 This can be
\ndifficult because of the irregular schedules caregivers must keep.\u00a0 But
\nthink of it this way: your body and mind are machines, and they must be
\nproperly maintained in order to function at their best. Nutritious food,
\nexercise, and sleep are the things that fuel these machines.\u00a0 Just as you
\nwould not let your car run out of gas, do not let your body run out of its
\nfuel.<\/p>\n

Let go of unrealistic expectations.\u00a0 Caregivers often have unrealistic
\nexpectations of themselves and therefore push themselves to meet these
\ngoals.\u00a0 Accept the fact that you cannot do everything.\u00a0 Ask for and accept
\nhelp, from friends, family, and local agencies. Whatever you do, do not be a
\nmartyr.<\/p>\n

Keep a sense of humor.\u00a0 We all know that laughter is the best medicine, so
\ngo ahead and take a few spoonfuls daily.\u00a0 Relax with a funny movie or TV
\nshow.\u00a0 Listen to a comedy program while you do your chores.\u00a0 Find the humor
\nin everyday things.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Gail Gilman, Family Life Consultant, M.Ed., C.F.C.S. and Professor Emeritus, University of Minnesota While caregivers are defined as the people taking care of those who need help, they sometimes overlook the fact that caregiving responsibilities can take a toll on their own health. In addition to physical ailments, caregivers are at risk for depression. Depression …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":142950,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_bbp_topic_count":0,"_bbp_reply_count":0,"_bbp_total_topic_count":0,"_bbp_total_reply_count":0,"_bbp_voice_count":0,"_bbp_anonymous_reply_count":0,"_bbp_topic_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_reply_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_forum_subforum_count":0,"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[191],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-146601","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-newsletters"],"aioseo_notices":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":true,"date":"2026-10-31 21:05:46","action":"change-status","newStatus":"trash","terms":[0],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sleepyeyeonline.com\/goodnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/146601","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sleepyeyeonline.com\/goodnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sleepyeyeonline.com\/goodnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sleepyeyeonline.com\/goodnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sleepyeyeonline.com\/goodnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=146601"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.sleepyeyeonline.com\/goodnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/146601\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":146602,"href":"https:\/\/www.sleepyeyeonline.com\/goodnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/146601\/revisions\/146602"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sleepyeyeonline.com\/goodnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/142950"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sleepyeyeonline.com\/goodnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=146601"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sleepyeyeonline.com\/goodnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=146601"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sleepyeyeonline.com\/goodnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=146601"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}