For me burnout is those times when I am already overwhelmed first thing in the morning. I wake up knowing that I have a ton of things happening and don’t want to get out of bed to face them. Then, when I do get up, I am cranky with my husband, robotic in my chores, angry at the world. I walk around all day with a sense of dread of what else is going to be asked of me and I end up back in bed ruminating on everything that went wrong. It’s a difficult cycle to break.

In researching burn out, I stumbled across an interesting assessment tool called the Zarit Burden interview. As I read through it, I was reminded that burnout can sneak up on me and the importance of always being aware of the load I place on myself. I completed the assessment today and found that I am in the lower category, not feeling burdened too much at this time, but I know that could change quickly based on my husband’s condition.

I am going to keep this link available to revisit as things change. I know, it will be one more thing to do but I think it will be a worthwhile endeavor if it helps me recognize when I am trying to take on too much. Seeing burnout before it happens can remind me to slow down and take care of me. Because unless I am taking care of me, I am not taking proper care of my husband.

If you are interested in assessing your level of stress visit Caregiver_Burden_Assessment.pdf (agingcare.com).