Caregiver Burnout: How to Care for Aging Parents Without Losing Yourself
A younger woman kneels beside an older woman seated on a bed, gently helping her with a slipper, capturing the emotional and physical toll of caregiving.
Caring for an aging parent can be emotionally exhausting. Learn the signs of caregiver burnout, why it’s so common, and how therapy can help you set boundaries, process guilt, and reclaim your own identity.
Caring for an aging parent can be an act of deep love—and also one of the most emotionally and physically draining responsibilities a person can take on. If you’re feeling overwhelmed, guilty, or like you’ve disappeared inside the role of caregiver, you’re not alone.
This isn’t just stress. It’s caregiver burnout, and it’s more common than people realize. Therapy can help you set boundaries, process complex emotions, and reclaim parts of yourself that may have been lost.
What Is Caregiver Burnout?
Caregiver burnout is a state of chronic emotional, mental, and physical exhaustion caused by the prolonged responsibility of caring for another person. It often builds slowly, especially when limited support or guilt makes it hard to say “I need help.”
Signs of caregiver burnout may include:
Feeling constantly fatigued or emotionally numb
Increased irritability, resentment, or hopelessness
Trouble sleeping, focusing, or enjoying anything
Withdrawing from others or feeling isolated
Physical symptoms like headaches, pain, or illness
Feeling like you’re failing, no matter how much you do
You might also feel guilty for even admitting you're burnt out. That guilt can keep you pushing yourself long after crossing your own limits.
Why This Hits So Hard
Caring for a parent (or parental figure) can bring up unresolved emotional history, cultural expectations, or complex family roles. You may feel caught between honoring your love for them and trying to maintain your own health, identity, or boundaries.
Therapy clients often ask:
How do I say no without feeling like I’m abandoning them?
Why do I feel so angry and so guilty at the same time?
Can I be a good child and still take care of myself?
The answer is yes, but it takes support and space to work through it.
How Therapy Helps Caregivers Reclaim Space for Themselves
You deserve a space to unpack what caregiving has stirred in you—not just the logistics, but the grief, resentment, love, fatigue, and identity shifts that come with it.
In therapy, you can:
Set boundaries that honor both your parent and your own capacity
Process family history or past wounds that caregiving reactivates
Learn emotion regulation and stress reduction tools
Rebuild your identity outside of the caregiving role
Stop tying your worth to how much you sacrifice
Work With Cardelia Dischert, LMHC
With nearly two decades of experience, Cardelia Dischert, LMHC, helps adults navigate caregiving stress, family dynamics, and identity loss with compassion and skill. Her culturally responsive, trauma-informed approach is especially attuned to the needs of BIPOC clients, women, and first-generation caregivers juggling multiple roles.
You’re Not Selfish. You’re Human.
You can care for others without abandoning yourself. Therapy can help you care from a place of clarity, not depletion.
Book a consultation with Cardelia Dischert, LMHC, and begin your path back to balance.
