"Anger: A natural emotion for Alzheimer's caregivers." Angela Lunde, Mayo Clinic Staff.
Let's be honest. As caregivers for dementia we have a very, very tough job, and with that job come many emotions: anger, frustration, fear, imprisonment, impatience, irritability; as well as, the emotions society generally considers to be more positive: contentment, acceptance, peace. As human beings it is important for us to allow our feelings. We can always choose not to act on them (and often need to choose not to act on them), but it is considered good mental health to notice and experience them. Some people involved in body energy work think that emotions that are not processed (honored and felt) can become stuck in our bodies, with resulting physical symptoms. I think this is accurate. One time, after experiencing a significant loss in my life, I was having a massage and began to weep as the massage therapist massaged my legs. It is my belief that my body had held some of my emotions and was releasing them with the assistance of the massage. This is a tough job: caregiving; let us honor that sometimes we feel angry about it.
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