Reduce Caregivers’ Stress with Planning and Coping Skills

Plan Your Way to Successful Stress Management

There are many ways to manage stress. Naturally, some of the most appealing options include lying on a white sandy beach or soaking in a warm bath. However, brushing up on your planning skills may be the more effective long-term solution.

A recent international survey by Harvard psychologist Robert Epstein confirmed that planning is the single most powerful method for reducing stress, as it helps prevent tensions from building in the first place. If you want to create more peace and calm in your life proactively, start working through this checklist.

How Planning Reduces Stress

Take control.
Stress often stems from feeling like life is out of one’s hands. Planning reminds one that one can decide how to respond to what happens.

Be prepared.
Knowing your schedule in advance can prevent surprises. For example, you’re less likely to find out you’re supposed to attend a wedding the same weekend overnight guests arrive.

Protect your health.
Chronic stress contributes to many severe health conditions, including obesity, diabetes, and heart disease. Reducing stress could even help you live longer.

Overcome procrastination.
Breaking down projects into smaller steps with individual deadlines can keep you on track. Clear goals help boost motivation and increase your chances of success.

Feel more fulfilled.
Planning allows you to prioritize what truly matters. You’ll begin to focus on what’s meaningful, not just what’s urgent, leading to a more satisfying and balanced life.

Tips for Stress Reduction Through Planning

1. Track your time.
   A helpful step is to understand where your time goes. Keep a diary or use a time-tracking app for at least a couple of weeks. You might be surprised how long some “quick” tasks take.

Caregiver Scenario – Ellen: Ellen, who supports her husband with Parkinson’s, used a time-tracking app and realized that managing his mobility assistance took up more time than she thought, especially during morning transitions. She adjusted her work-from-home hours and started breakfast prep earlier, reducing their morning chaos.

2. Structure your activities.
   After identifying time-wasters or bottlenecks, restructure your day. Schedule more demanding tasks for the hours when you have the most energy. You might finally fit in that workout you’ve been postponing.

Caregiver Scenario – Maggie: Maggie noticed she had the most mental clarity mid-morning. She began using that time to sort through insurance forms and refill medication organizers for her father. She left low-energy tasks like folding laundry for the evening, making her caregiving feel less exhausting.

Caregiver Scenario – Joan: Joan, who cares for her mother with Alzheimer’s, felt more overwhelmed in the evenings. By tracking her energy patterns, she started grocery shopping in the mornings when her mom was calmest, and saved laundry for later. The shift lowered her anxiety and improved her sleep.

3. Organize your stuff.
   Clutter creates mental noise and stress. Declutter your home and caregiving spaces. Clear labels and functional storage are used to reduce the time spent searching for supplies.

Caregiver Scenario – Raj: Raj cares for his mother with early dementia and keeps losing track of supplies like adult briefs and medication refills. He set up color-coded bins in the hallway closet and labeled drawers by task (medications, hygiene, meals). This simple change saved him 30 minutes daily and reduced his frustration.

4. Write things down.
   Don’t rely on memory alone. Use calendars, apps, or sticky notes to unload mental clutter and stay focused on the moment. Free up mental space for focus.

Caregiver Scenario – Natalie: Natalie supports her uncle, who has multiple specialist appointments. She created a shared Google Calendar with appointment times, refill dates, and physical therapy schedules. She stopped missing deadlines, and her stress dropped significantly.

Caregiver Scenario – Rita: Rita, who cares for her brother after a stroke, was constantly second-guessing whether she had called the pharmacy or scheduled follow-up appointments. She started using a wall calendar and a simple caregiving binder to track medications, notes from therapists, and weekly goals. Writing everything down freed her from mental overload and reduced her nighttime anxiety.

5. Set priorities.
   Not everything is equally important. Use your core values to guide decisions. Say no to tasks that don’t align with what truly matters.

Caregiver Scenario – Omar: Omar juggled caregiving, volunteering, and helping at his church. After feeling constantly drained, he prioritized his wife’s recovery after surgery and paused non-urgent commitments. He felt less guilty and more focused.

6. Manage your commitments.
   If your to-do list is overloaded, scale back. Let go of tasks that don’t align with your capacity or goals. Respecting your limits makes you more reliable, not less.

Caregiver Scenario – Dee: Dee agreed to cook daily meals for her parents and neighbors. When her health declined, she re-evaluated and set up a rotating meal schedule with her siblings. Sharing the load gave her time to attend physical therapy and rest.

7. Establish routines.
   Turning activities into habits makes your day more efficient and less mentally draining. Group similar tasks together and build momentum. For example, commit to running before breakfast rather than arguing with your alarm clock every day.

Caregiver Scenario – Anthony: Anthony cares for his brother, who is recovering from a stroke. Instead of debating when to exercise or take personal care each day, he created a routine with morning hygiene, mid-morning stretching, and evening walks. The predictability helped both of them feel calmer and more in control.

Caregiver Scenario – Sam: Sam helps his dad with Parkinson’s disease. Each morning used to be chaotic—he’d forget what supplies were needed, rush breakfast, or miss medication windows. He created a consistent morning routine: wake, stretch, bathroom, smoothie, and meds. After a few weeks, both he and his dad started the day calmer, and missed doses became a thing of the past.

8. Schedule downtime.
   Planning isn’t just about productivity—it’s also about restoration. Schedule regular breaks to recharge your body and mind. Make sure your planner includes moments of fun, laughter, or relaxation.

Caregiver Scenario – Chloe: Chloe, a solo caregiver for her aunt, used to feel guilty taking breaks. After almost burning out, she scheduled 30-minute walks after lunch and a virtual yoga session twice weekly. She now looks forward to those moments and feels more emotionally balanced.

Caregiver Scenario – Luis: Luis, who helps care for his aging father, used to skip meals and rest breaks while managing appointments and errands. Once he scheduled 15-minute breaks and lunch as non-negotiables in his planner, his headaches and irritability reduced, making caregiving more sustainable.

4 Techniques to Help You Develop Coping Skills

How often have you told yourself, “I just can’t cope,” or “I don’t have the strength to deal with this”? It’s easy to feel that way when life piles on stress, but don’t underestimate yourself.

Peace of mind often begins with believing that you can handle challenges. Instead of spiraling into self-doubt, remind yourself: “I have coping skills, I just need to use them.”

If you’re unsure where those skills are hiding, these techniques can help uncover and strengthen them:

1. Weigh the Possible Outcomes – Pause before panicking over a difficult situation. Ask yourself: What’s the worst that could happen? Then reflect on how you’ve handled tough situations in the past. If you’ve made it through hardship before, you can do it again.

Often, our anxiety paints situations as worse than they are. Understanding that the outcome is manageable can help calm your mind and prepare you to act rationally.

2. Maintain Spirituality – Connecting to your spiritual or inner self can be a powerful coping tool. Whether through religion, mindfulness, or philosophical reflection, spirituality provides clarity and comfort during uncertain times.

If prayer or reflection gives you peace, make it a regular practice. It can help shift your perspective and increase resilience.

3. Practice Meditation – Meditation reduces stress, improves mental clarity, and connects you to your inner strength. Even a few minutes of deep breathing or mindful stillness can center your thoughts when everything feels chaotic.

4. Maintain a Positive Outlook – Life’s difficulties are less about what happens and more about how you respond. A positive mindset can help transform major obstacles into manageable bumps in the road.

Believe in Self-Actualization

Ask yourself: Who am I? What drives me? What brings me joy?
The better you understand your values, the more equipped you’ll be to navigate challenging times. When you believe you are resourceful, capable, and strong, you empower yourself to move through life gracefully.

Caregiver Scenario – Sarah:
After months of managing her dad’s medications, paperwork, and doctor visits, Sarah broke down crying in the car. She felt like she was failing. After journaling about the worst-case scenario and talking to her therapist, she realized she had done everything within her control. This realization helped her reframe the situation and bounce back the next day with renewed confidence.

Takeaways

You’re stronger than you think. Using these coping techniques, you’ll uncover a deep inner resilience. Over time, you’ll find that few things are truly overwhelming—and that you have the power to stay grounded and whole, even when life feels chaotic. Planning is a key aspect of successful stress management. Several effective strategies are available, including adjusting your schedule based on energy levels, scheduling breaks to avoid burnout, creating to-do lists and plans to minimize mental clutter, and establishing routines to enhance the efficiency and predictability of caregiving.