Why Dementia Caregivers Stop Feeling Like Themselves

If you're a dementia caregiver who barely recognizes yourself anymore, I want you to hear this before anything else: you are not broken, and you have not become a different person. Years of pouring everything into someone else can quietly erase the parts of you that existed before caregiving ever started. This isn't a personality change. It's what sustained, nonstop caregiving does to a nervous system. There is an actual name for what's happening to you, and once you understand it, it becomes something you can work with instead of something to fear.  In this episode I explain what's really going on in your brain after years of dementia caregiving, and I share four specific ways to start feeling like yourself again. If you'd like to see this episode on video, you can hop on over to my YouTube channel here. → Join the Care Collective: https://tinyurl.com/podcast-cc  → Get free weekly tools and tips in my newsletter, The Dementia Dose: https://tinyurl.com/dementiadose-podcast  ⏱ CHAPTERS 0:00 - Why dementia caregivers stop feeling like themselves 1:44 - The psychological term for losing your sense of self 2:47 - How suppressing your emotions changes your brain 4:40 - Four ways to start feeling like yourself again #dementia #dementiacaregiver #dementiacaregiving #caregiverburnout #selfcare   --- Hi, I'm Dr. Natali Edmonds, a board-certified geropsychologist specializing in dementia care. Whether your loved one has Alzheimer's, frontotemporal, Lewy body, vascular, or mixed dementia, we believe that to create a dementia-friendly world, we must first create a caregiver-friendly world. This content is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always consult with a healthcare provider for medical guidance.