6 Stress-Relieving Stretches for Caregivers

Even in pre-pandemic times, medical professionals faced significant job stress. We learn early on in our training to keep up a stoic resolve as we focus on the needs of our patients. After holding the front line against the COVID-19 pandemic for the past two years, many of us are finally admitting that we are exhausted and burned out. Health-care workers are experiencing unprecedented rates of anxiety, depression, and sleep disturbance as a consequence of understaffing, overwork, and the high physical and emotional demands of our work.

Even informal caregivers can experience high levels of stress. The physical, mental, and emotional demands of caring for a chronically ill child, a disabled elder, or another loved one can be overwhelming. The strain can impact the health and well-being of the one providing care.

It is critical for all of us in caregiving roles to take care of ourselves. Mindfully moving our bodies can help.

This sequence encourages you to take a short break from the daily chaos and bring some love to your tight back muscles after hours hunched over a patient’s bedside. These poses help to strengthen your core and arms so you can uplift (figuratively and literally) yourself and those around you. This sequence is also for those who love a health-care worker and seek to share in the joy and hope we bring to others.