Taking care of yourself is one of the most important things you can do for the person you are caring for. As the saying goes, “You cannot pour from an empty cup.” All too often, caregivers find themselves in poor health, overwhelmed, and physically and emotionally exhausted. There’s no better time than the present to start taking care of yourself.
Ways You Can Take Care of Yourself
- Join an Alzheimer’s San Diego support group. These groups offer a wealth of information, support, solutions and new knowledge to help you on your caregiving journey.
- Take a five minute break each day. Rejuvenating your mind and releasing emotions is important for living in the present. Be kind to yourself.
- Spend time with friends. Connecting with others, stimulating your brain and having an outlet to revive yourself are all ways to reduce stress and maintain a healthy lifestyle.
- Schedule time for your hobbies and interests. Doing the things you love will increase your energy levels and help to extend positivity and patience.
- Eat healthy foods. It’s easy to eat comfort foods, but they add to fatigue, poor health and other medical problems. Staying energized and alert will help with cognitive functioning and a healthier heart. You only have one body. Make sure to take care of it.
- Get exercise as often as you can. If you can’t get out of the house each day, look for ways to stay active in the home through cleaning, gardening, or playing with pets.
- See your doctor on a regular basis. Regular check-ups are a good way to monitor your overall health and alert you if early health intervention is needed.
- Keep your health, legal, and financial information up-to-date. Having a plan in place, in the event that anything happens to you, will ensure the safety of the person you are caring for and can prevent unnecessary stress on the family.
It’s Okay to Ask for Help
Asking for help can be hard, especially if you have always done everything on your own, are not sure what others can help with, or feel as if you are imposing. We encourage you to try again as your health depends on it. Others will communicate whether or not they can help. If you have trouble asking for help, try these tips:
- Ask people to help out in specific ways like making a meal, picking up a prescription, visiting the person with dementia, or taking the person out for a short time.
- Call for help from in-home care agencies, respite programs or adult day care services when you need it.
Your Emotional Health
You may be busy caring for the person with dementia and don’t take time to think about your emotional health. Caring for a person with dementia takes a lot of time and effort. Sometimes, you may feel discouraged, guilty, sad, lonely, frustrated, confused, or angry. These feelings are normal. Here are some things you can say to yourself that might help you feel better:
- I’m doing the best I can.
- It’s the disease talking.
- What I’m doing would be hard for anyone.
- I’m not perfect, but that’s okay.
- I can’t control some things that happen. I can only control my reaction.
- Sometimes, I just need to do what works for right now.
- Even when I do everything I can think of, the person with dementia will still have difficult symptoms because of the illness, not because of what I do.
- I will enjoy the moments when we can be together in peace.
Meeting Your Spiritual Needs
As a caregiver of a person with dementia, you may need more spiritual resources than others do. Meeting your spiritual needs can help you cope better as a caregiver and find a sense of balance and peace. Some people like to be involved with others as part of a faith community, such as a church, temple, or mosque. For others, simply having a sense that larger forces are at work in the world helps meet their spiritual needs.
For personalized support, call us at 858.492.4400 to speak with one of our Dementia Care Coaches who are here to help San Diego County residents and/or those caring for someone living in San Diego County (Spanish speakers available). Also check out our free education classes, social activities, caregiver support groups, & more.
Updated on February 19th, 2026
