Caregivers - Practice Self Compassion
By Jhoanna Rae Marquez, PT, DAC, INHCCaregiver burnout is a real risk when managing chronic illness. CF caregivers experience elevated rates of depression and anxiety compared to the general population. This in turn affects their ability to provide care effectively.
The habit of critiquing ourselves creates a cycle that makes everything harder. When you’re already managing multiple daily treatments, medical appointments, and normal life responsibilities, falling short of your own expectations becomes almost guaranteed. That negative voice doesn’t motivate better performance; it increases stress and reduces your wellbeing.
Self compassion, as defined in psychological literature, involves treating yourself with the same kindness you’d offer a friend facing similar challenges. Self compassion can reduce burnout, lower anxiety and depression, and improve the ability to cope with caregiving demands. In other words, give yourself the same grace you give others.
What could this look like? Recognizing that a missed treatment occasionally doesn’t make you a failure. It is acknowledging that some days are harder than others. It is celebrating what you did accomplish today, whether that’s getting to all the treatments or simply making it through a difficult 24 hours.
When caregivers give themselves permission to be imperfect, to rest when needed, and to prioritize their own wellbeing, they actually become more effective in their caregiving role.
This isn’t about lowering standards for your loved one’s care. It’s about recognizing that you’re managing something genuinely difficult, and that harsh self judgment makes it harder, not easier. The small daily wins, the moments when you successfully navigated a challenge, the times when you chose progress over perfection, these matter more than achieving an impossible standard every single day.