We constantly tell caregivers to invest in their own wellbeing and strive to find balance in their lives. The daily demands of caring for a loved one can be physically and emotionally exhausting. Over time, the exhaustion can lead to compassion fatigue or caregiver burnout.
There are many books and tools available to help individuals reflect on their status and find areas for improvement. One such tool is the Assessment Wheel by the Coaches Training Institute.
The Assessment Wheel asks questions pertaining to nine categories of whole-person satisfaction and balance. These include:
Career
Fun and recreation
Money and finances
Physical environment
Friends
Family
The tool has easy-to-follow instructions plus a scoring summary, which helps identify any gaps in balance and highlights opportunities for growth.
Once caregivers identify these areas, they can start practicing self-care by choosing one to work on. The commitment can be small, such as listening to music for 15 minutes each day, or large, like renovating a home for greater accessibility.
The value comes from taking measurement of the current situation and finding areas that will make an impact on quality of life. Download the Assessment Wheel at: TheCoaches.com/docs/res/pdf/Personal-Assessment-Wheel.pdf