Healthy Ways to Manage Emotional Empathy for Caregivers

Balancing emotional empathy for caregivers can lead to healthier, more compassionate care for the person you love.

Empathy is, naturally, a crucial characteristic of effective caregiving. The ability to put yourself in another person’s shoes helps you to better meet their needs. However, there is a particular form of empathy you need to understand in order to guard your own health and wellness: emotional empathy for caregivers.

Emotional empathy takes caring to another level. Instead of simply understanding how another person is feeling, emotional empathy includes actually experiencing their feelings. For instance, if you’re someone who is highly emotionally empathetic, sitting beside a person who is crying will bring tears to your own eyes. If they’re in pain, you’ll also experience distress. You’re the type of person who will spring into action when someone has an immediate need.

Is Emotional Empathy Harmful for Caregivers?

Emotional empathy in and of itself isn’t a negative thing. Yet for a family caregiver of an older loved one, it could result in mental health problems if not properly managed. The risks are even greater if the person in your care has Alzheimer’s or other cognitive problems.

An excessive amount of emotional empathy for caregivers could be extremely draining and overwhelming. It may result in emotional burnout, which often may cause one to shut down emotionally. If it is too painful to care so much, you could find yourself pulling from your family member.

If you believe you’re dealing with heightened emotional empathy, these strategies can help:

• Talk to a therapist in order to help identify whether your response to your family member’s condition is cause for concern.
• Attempt to separate your own feelings from those of the individual in your care. Your individual life experiences could be coloring how you’re responding to the other person’s situation.
• Spend more time listening than formulating your own response when your family member is talking with you. This means shutting out your own thoughts so you can concentrate solely on what they are saying. It can help you avoid making assumptions or missing important pieces of information they would like to share.
• Think from a perspective of curiosity. Ask the senior questions regarding their experience to better understand what they are thinking and feeling. At the same time, remind yourself not to attempt to “fix” anything.

Hired Hands Homecare is here to help you better care for yourself, so in turn you can better care for the individual you love, through award-winning services which can include:

• Light housekeeping, laundry, and meal prep
• Companionship for conversations and entertaining activities
• Assistance with personal hygiene needs such as baths, showers, and getting dressed
• Transportation and accompaniment to appointments and fun outings
• Grocery shopping along with other errands
• And much more

Reach out to us any time at (866) 940-4343 to request a complimentary in-home consultation for more information on how home care services will help both you and someone you love. We’re pleased to serve older adults in Novato, Santa Rosa, Napa, and throughout the Bay Area.