When you are a grandparent raising a grandchild, you don’t get to just have fun with them like a grandparent is supposed to. You have to be the parent as well as the grandparent. Many times the grandparent is retired and looking at enjoying retirement when they are faced with caring for a grandchild or multiple grandchildren. You may even still be working and trying to juggle working to provide for them and having the time to care for yourself as well as them. It is important to take some time for yourself and care for you as well as the grandchildren.Some signs of stress are:• Anxiety, depression, irritability• Feeling tired and run down• Difficulty sleeping• Overreacting to minor nuisances• New or worsening health problems• Trouble concentrating• Feeling increasingly resentful Signs of burnout:• You have much less energy than you once had• It seems like you catch every cold or bout of flu that’s going around• You’re constantly exhausted, even after sleeping or taking a break• You neglect your own needs, either because you’re too busy or you don’t care anymore• You have trouble relaxing, even when help is available• You’re increasingly impatient and irritable with the grandchildren• You feel helpless and hopeless While caring for grandchildren will never be stress free there are some ways to cope and lighten the load. Feeling powerless is the number one contributor to burnout and depression. It’s an easy trap to fall into especially if you feel stuck in a role you didn’t expect or helpless to change things for the better. No matter the situation, you aren’t powerless. This is especially true when it comes to your state of mind. You can’t always get the extra time, money, or physical assistance you’d like, but you can always get more happiness.Practice acceptance. When faced with the unfairness of needing to care for your grandchild because their parents can’t give them a safe place to live, you can spend a tremendous amount of energy dwelling on things you can’t change and for which there are no clear answers. Try to avoid the emotional trap of feeling sorry for yourself or searching for someone to blame.Look for the silver lining. Think about the ways caring for your grandchildren has made you stronger or brought you closer to your grandchild.Since it’s easier to accept a difficult situation when there are other areas of your life that ...
