1. Outsmart Caregiver Burnout with Information

A Huge Source of Caregiver Burnout Stems from Not Knowing What to Expect from Your Loved One’s Illness or Disability, Reveals Sara Honn Qualls, Phd, Board Certified Clinical Geropsychologist Who Specializes in Supporting Families Through Challenges of Later Life, Author of Caregiver Family Therapy and Professor Emeritus of Psychology at the University of Colorado Colorado Springs.

2. Discover Your ‘Anchor’

Why Are You Caregiving? the Answer Will Boost Your Energy and Prevent Caregiver Burnout. “Data from All over the World Show That Connecting to Your Values Is an Incredibly Effective Way to Reduce Caregiver Stress. It’s So Important to Identify Your ‘Why’ Because This Is Your Anchor Point, ’” Assures Qualls, Explaining That Yours Might Be Anything from Knowing You’re Doing God’s Work to Taking Comfort in Living up to Your Highest Ideals.

3. Caregiver Burnout Tip: Be Kind to You

Because Their Responsibilities Can Feel All-Consuming, Many Caregivers Begin to Feel Disconnected from Their Identity, Reveals Psychologist Allison J. Applebaum, Phd, Founding Director of the Caregivers Clinic at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. “One of the Most Important Self-Care Remedies Is to Find Ways to Make You Feel Like You Again, ” She Encourages. “For Example, If You’re an Avid Gardener, Yet No Longer Have Time to Tend to Your Flower Beds, You Might Put up a Small Window Box Instead. ”

4. Give Yourself Permission to Grieve

Oftentimes, Anger We Feel Toward the Person We’re Taking Care of Masks a Deeper Grief Experienced in Caregiver Burnout. Applebaum, Author of the Forthcoming Book, Stand by Me: a Guide to Navigating Modern, Meaningful Caregiving, Recalls How a Woman Who Was Tending to Her Husband Would Find Herself Getting Upset with Him for No Longer Being Able to Take Care of the House. “Beneath That Anger, It Was Really Sadness She Felt over Her Once-Robust Partner Getting Weaker, ” She Says. “This Anticipatory Grief Scared Her, but Once She Gave Herself Space to Express Her Sadness, She Found Some Comfort. the Simple Act of Labeling What You’re Going Through Is Healing. ”

5. Check Your ‘Resent-O-Meter’

Caregiver Burnout Can Churn up Many Difficult Emotions, Including Resentment. to Regain Control over This Hidden or “Taboo” Feeling, “Picture a ‘Resent-O-Meter, ’ That Ticks up When Your Boundaries Have Been Overextended or Disrespected, ” Suggests Qualls. She Recalls Doing This with a Caregiver Who Had Given up Taking a Hike So She Could Tend to a Loved One — Even Though Her Family Had Offered to Help Her. “When She Focused on Her Resent-O-Meter, She Realized She Was ‘Over-Offering, ’ and If She Had Given Herself Permission to Accept a Helping Hand, She Would Have Been Able to Take That Hike. ” to Sidestep Such Simmering Resentment, Pinpoint a Few Concrete Examples of Responsibilities You Might Be Able to Delegate and What You Need to Feel Nurtured.

6. Accept a Helping Hand to Reduce Burnout

Gathering Your “Caregiving Team” Is Essential for Your Mental and Physical Wellbeing as Well as for the Health of the Caregiving Recipient, Observes Applebaum. “Be as Specific as Possible, Like, ‘I Could Really Use Your Help with Meal Prep Next Week. ’ Or, ‘Can You Please Set up a Meal Train? ’” and When Someone Offers Help, Even If You’re Not Sure What You May Need in the Moment, She Encourages Always Saying Yes. “You Can Just Say, ‘Thank You. I Know I’m Going to Need Assistance at Some Point, and I’ll Reach Back Out. ’” Remember, There Is No Statute of Limitations on a Helping Hand.

7. Caregiver Burnout Tip: Sidestep Sibling Stress

“Caregiving Is Not an Individual’s Task Alone — It’s a Family Issue, ” Says Clinical Psychologist Barry J. Jacobs, Psy. D. , Long-Time Columnist on Family Caregiving for Aarp. or at Least It Should Be. He Explains That Fraught Sibling Dynamics Around How to Share Caregiving Responsibilities for Aging Parents Is a Common Cause of Tension. “I Always Tell Siblings That How You Decide to Work Together Can Either Strengthen or Weaken Your Ties Forever. It Can Make a Huge Difference If All Three Siblings Decide to Divide the Tasks Compared to a Situation Where One of Them Refuses to Pitch In. ”

8. Find Help for ‘Hidden’ Caregiving

While 50% of Caregivers Are Looking After Aging Parents, Only 12% Are Tending to Their Spouse, Reveals Jacobs. It’s Easy to See Why This Caregiving Cohort Tends to Feel Isolated or Overlooked. “All Caregiving Is Challenging, but I Would Say It’s Harder When It Comes to Your Husband or Wife Because Your Entire Identity — Your Hopes and Dreams — Is Affected. ”

9. Savor the Small Stuff in Caregiving

The Weight of Caregiving Feels Different to Different People, Observes Deidre Edwards, Author of Toolkit for Caregivers. “When I Was Looking After My Husband, I Felt Almost as Though a Parachute Had Settled over Me. I Was Trapped and Fighting It, Until I Learned to Calm Myself and Take Control of What I Could. I Was Still Under That Parachute but Instead of Punching at It, I Was Stretching It, and My Motions Became Slower and More Graceful, ” She Recalls, Adding That You Can Feel Caregiver Burnout and Still Learn to Enjoy the Space You Occupy Under It by Shifting Your Focus. “When You Zoom out and Look at the Bigger Picture, It Can Seem Overwhelming. but Zooming in on the Little Things, Like Tidying the Junk Drawer or Pruning Your Rose Bush, Helps to Restore Your Sense of Control. ”

10. Cheer Your Space with Easy Tweaks

The Power of the Environment to Lift Your Spirits and Energize You Can’t Be Underestimated in Helping Caregiver Burnout. “When My Husband Got Sick, His World Shrank to the Four Walls of Our Bedroom. Cheering up Your Space Is So Important for You and the Caregiver, ” Shares Edwards, Adding That She Made Tiny Tweaks Like Swapping out the Painting Her Husband Saw from His Bed and Using Suction Cups to Hang a Window Bird Feeder in His Room So He Could Enjoy Feathered Visitors Every Day.

10 Expert Tips to Avoid It

By Chloe Bennett

• Oct 8, 2026 • 11 min read

Direct Answer • Key Takeaway

Of the 53 Million Caregivers in the U. S. , More Than 61% Are Women. and While That Means You Are Part of a Legion of Compassionate Warriors Doing Invaluable Work on Behalf of Your Loved Ones, It Can Also Feel Isolating, Like the Weight of the World Is on Your Shoulders. in Fact, According to a New Aarp Study, 56% of Caregivers Say Their Responsibilities Make It Hard to Tend to Their Mental Health. Women Feel Significantly More Anxiety Then Their Male Counterparts. It’s Not Surprising Caregiver Burnout Is Reaching All-Time Highs.

Chloe Bennett

Culture, Media & Entertainment Columnist

Chloe Bennett explores the intersection of pop culture, streaming entertainment, digital trends, and contemporary lifestyle. Her weekly commentary reaches thousands of culture enthusiasts.

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