Gratitude in Being an Alzheimer’s Caregiver

Taking care of a loved one diagnosed with Alzheimer’s or some other mental disorder can be emotionally and physically draining. Oftentimes, you feel like days are dragging along, and even if you are very dedicated to your sick family member, you still cannot avoid feeling stressed and burnt out. Feeling grateful might be a challenging task to achieve.

Living with gratitude doesn’t mean that you should ignore or deny when things are tough. At Lowenhill Home Care Services, we believe that being positive and having a hopeful outlook is just a way to remind yourself that there are some things left to appreciate in life, even during the darkest of days.

Keeping a Gratitude Journal

Many people find that writing a gratitude journal is an effective way to change their perspective, allowing them to focus on even the smallest thing that there is to be grateful for. After it becomes a habit, you begin to find more and more reasons to be grateful.

So, how should you start?

Consider what format will work best for you. Would you like to write your thoughts down on paper or on an app that you can download on your phone? It’s important for you to set up a system you are comfortable with so that it won’t be hard for you to follow through later.

Once you’re down with that, you can start writing!

Here are a couple of prompts:

1. Did something make you smile today?
2. Did you have a nice conversation with a friend?
3. Is there an activity or event that you are looking forward to attending?

When you train your mind to focus more on the positive things in your life, it becomes a lot easier to manage the more difficult days. Let’s all feel grateful this Valentine’s Day!