Managing Caregiver Guilt: 5 Tips To Manage Guilt So Guilt Serves You, Not Imprisons You

Guilt is a common feeling in the landscape of care giving. Guilt can propel you to be the best you can be …or it can immobilize you.
For caregivers, painful feelings -- such as guilt, sadness and anger -- are like any other pain. It’s your body’s way of saying, 'Pay attention.' Just as the pain of a burned finger pulls your hand from the stove, so, too, guilt guides your actions and optimizes your health.
You have a picture of the "Ideal You" with values you hold and how you relate to yourself and others. Guilt often arises when there’s a mismatch between your day-to-day choices and the choices the "Ideal You" would have made. The "Ideal You" may be a parent who attends all of the kids’ soccer games. Miss a game to take your dad to the doctor, and you View the rest of this article