Navigating the Storm

A Guide to Self-Care for Caregivers of Children with Cancer

Navigating the Storm: Cancer treatment is stressful for pediatric patients and their families. Caregiving for a child with cancer is a deeply emotional and demanding role that can take a toll on even the strongest of individuals. You may be a parent, family member, or caregiver of a child with cancer and feel exhausted, stressed, burned out, and, as a result, feel guilty for having these emotions. Do you feel frustrated, out of control, irritable, and anxious? Then, you may be feeling caregiver burnout. Studies show more than 60% of caregivers experience burnout (Professional, n.d.-a).

Caregiver stress over time can begin to cause physical problems, such as fatigue, headaches, stomach problems, and infections. Self-care is necessary for your well-being and benefits you and the child you care for. Let’s explore the importance of prioritizing self-care for your well-being.

Self Care is Important

Self-care is crucial for caregivers, especially those supporting a child with cancer, as it helps maintain their physical, emotional, and mental well-being amidst the challenges they face. Here are some key reasons why self-care is important:

Coping: Self-care practices such as exercise, meditation, journaling, relaxation techniques, and support groups can help you cope better with stress and adversity.
Preventing Burnout: Taking time to rest, recharge, and engage in activities that bring you joy and relaxation can prevent caregiver burnout and ensure you can continue to provide quality care to your loved ones.
Physical Health: Prioritizing self-care through healthy eating, regular exercise, and adequate sleep can boost your physical health, immunity, and energy levels, enabling you to meet the demands of caregiving better.

In this blog post, we will focus on relaxation techniques and their benefits.

Relaxation Techniques

Benefits of Relaxation Techniques

Relaxation techniques can:

Slow heart rate, blood pressure, and breathing rate
Improve focus and mood
Lower fatigue
Lessen frustration
Improve sleep quality
Decrease muscle tension and pain
Improve digestion
Lower blood sugar levels
Decrease stress hormone activity

Types of Relaxation Techniques

Relaxation techniques are an effective way to help caregivers manage stress and promote overall well-being. Below we will explore how deep breathing, progressive muscle relaxation, listening to music, and guided imagery help encourage mental and physical relaxation.

Deep Breathing

Deep Breathing, also known as belly breathing or box breathing can decrease the effects of stress on your mind and body (Clinic, 2024a). Some studies show that deep breathing can lower cortisol levels (a stress hormone) and blood pressure (Hopper et al., 2019). Simply taking a few minutes to focus on deep, slow breaths can profoundly impact stress levels.

Box breathing is a form of deep breathing used in yoga. A box has four sides. In this particular type of breathing, you count to four a total of four times, hence the name “box breathing.”

How to perform the box breathing technique:

Breathe in through your nose for a count of four.
Hold for a count of four.
Breathe out very slowly through pursed lips while slowly counting to four.
Relax to the count of four.
Repeat these steps four times.

Progressive Muscle Relaxation

The theory behind progressive muscle relaxation (PMR) is that physical relaxation encourages mental relaxation. PMR focuses on slowly tensing and relaxing muscles in each muscle group (Relaxation Techniques: Try These Steps to Lower Stress, 2024). Not only does relaxing your muscles make you feel good, but it also helps the nervous system rest. PMR has multiple benefits. It relieves stress and tension headaches, enables you to sleep better, and helps to decrease anxiety. Athletes often use PRM to manage stress or anxiety before a performance.

Although it is most effective when done lying down, you can still benefit from doing it while sitting at your desk, in traffic, or even before a big performance.

How to perform the progressive muscle relaxation technique:

Close your eyes to shut out extra stimuli and provide a better connection between your mind and muscles.
Start by tensing and relaxing the muscles in your toes, moving up your body to your neck and head. You can also start at your head and neck and move down to your toes.
Tense your muscles for about 5 seconds, relax for 30 seconds, and repeat.

Listening to Music

Music can be a powerful tool for managing stress (How Music Affects Mental Health, 2024). Lively tunes can help uplift your mood, while soothing music can help you relax and feel calm. You can choose the music that works best for you and provides you with a peaceful environment. Many streaming services provide calming music. You may find piano, flute, and/or meditation music to be very helpful.

Guided Imagery

This is an excellent way for caregivers to take a mental escape away from stress and promote inner peace (Clinic, 2024b). There are many pre-recorded guided imagery scripts, or you can use your own. Having a specific scene, such as a beautiful garden, a forest, or a beach, is helpful.

How to perform guided imagery:

Choose a quiet, cozy space where you can relax without interruptions.
Choose some calming music like classical, nature sounds, or meditation music.
Get into a relaxed position, either sitting or lying down. Make sure you are comfortable.
Close your eyes and take a few deep breaths before releasing any tension you may have.
Imagine yourself in the scene you have chosen and engage all your senses. Visualize the scene, listen to the sounds, smell the aromatic scents, and feel what may be in your scene (i.e., feel your feet in the sand.)
Listen to the background music and immerse yourself in the experience.
Enjoy this relaxing experience as long as you are able.

Other Techniques

Yoga, meditation, reiki, massage, aromatherapy, and tai chi are other relaxation techniques available to you. In addition to using any of the above-mentioned relaxation techniques, there are positive coping methods to try. Here are a few you can use along with relaxation techniques (Relaxation Techniques: Try These Steps to Lower Stress, 2024):

Eat a healthy diet
Exercise regularly
Positive thinking
Get enough sleep
Surround yourself with humor
Spend some quality time outdoors
Seek out supportive family and friends

Caring for a child with cancer has unique challenges. As a caregiver, it is essential to remember that your well-being is as important as your child’s. Prioritizing self-care is a critical component of your caregiving role. Remember, self-care is a necessary investment in your well-being to benefit you and the person you care for.

Support from Sassy Carmen

The Sassy Carmen Foundation’s mission is to support and guide families dealing with a cancer diagnosis by offering many programs to help reduce daily stressors, such as the “Creating Memories” program. This program allows the Sassy kids and their families to relax and have fun with imagination and play, including hosting “Just Because” parties. Sassy Carmen also has a “Buddy System” program to connect families with volunteers who help with various needs, including emotional support.

References:

Professional, C. C. M. (n.d.-a). Caregiver burnout. Cleveland Clinic. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/9225-caregiver-burnout

Relaxation techniques: Try these steps to lower stress. (2024, January 24). Mayo Clinic. https://mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/stress-management/in-depth/relaxation-technique/art-20045368

Clinic, C. (2024, July 2). How box breathing can help you destress. Cleveland Clinic. https://health.clevelandclinic.org/box-breathing-benefits

Hopper, S. I., Murray, S. L., Ferrara, L. R., & Singleton, J. K. (2019). Effectiveness of diaphragmatic breathing for reducing physiological and psychological stress in adults: a quantitative systematic review. The JBI Database of Systematic Reviews and Implementation Reports, 17(9), 1855–1876. https://doi.org/10.11124/jbisrir-2017-003848

Clinic, C. (2024b, July 17). How guided imagery helps you relax. Cleveland Clinic. https://health.clevelandclinic.org/guided-imagery

How music affects mental health. (2024, February 26). WebMD. https://webmd.com/mental-health/how-music-affects-mental-health