Emotions
Is it Normal to Feel This Way?
As care partners, it is common to cycle through various emotions. There are a lot of changes that occur day to day and hour to hour in your life.
It is normal to experience moments of positive emotions and shortly after having an experience with more negative emotions.
While it is normal to experience all of these emotions from time to time, you need to be aware of the frequency, duration, and intensity of these emotions as it can help you better understand your mental health.
Common Emotions that Care Partners Experience
Common positive emotions include:
- Gratitude
- Serenity
- Pride
- Altruism
- Satisfaction
- Contentment
- Love
- Anger
- Ambivalence
- Anxiety
- Boredom
- Irritability
- Sadness/Depression
- Embarrassment
- Fear
- Frustration
- Grief
- Guilt
- Impatience
- Jealousy
- Loneliness
- Loss/Ambiguous Loss
- Resentment
Ambiguous Loss
The feeling of ambiguous loss is a common feeling for many care partners throughout their journey of supporting their loved one with Parkinson's Disease.
Ambiguous Loss is felt when someone that we know/care for is physically still here but what makes unique to us (personality, interests, independence) is no longer present. The loss of these traits can make you grieve the loss of the person that they once were.
The emotions that are associated with ambiguous loss are:
- Shock/Denial
- Anger
- Bargaining
- Depression
- Acceptance
- Similarly, you do not progress through these emotions linearly. The emotions of ambiguous loss are experienced more as a cycle.
- Just like our emotions, it is common to ebb and flow into different stages of grief.
- You may find that you are in the acceptance phase for a while and then something significant changes in your loved one’s abilities and then you may move through one or more of the other stages before returning to acceptance.
- Early: many individuals describe the loss as their plans for retirement, as what they had envisioned with their loved one for retirement may not feel attainable.
- Middle: your loved one is no longer independent, and you now must assist with daily tasks.
- Late: your loved one may have cognitive impairments that limit their self-expression and no longer has an interest in their hobbies or favorite activities.
Professional Support
- Persistent Negative Emotions: your reactions to the situation are not your typical response (e.g. increased frustration/anger or avoidance of a situation).
- Unable to Complete Tasks: it is difficult to complete day-to-day tasks, such as bathing, cooking, and sleeping.
- Duration: your symptoms of chronic stress last for more than two weeks.
- Counseling Services of Southern Minnesota
- (507)931-8040
- Inspire Services
- (507)364-5312
- Hoffmann Counseling Services Saint Peter
- (507)4848-2400
- Seeds-Change Psychology Clinic
- (507)934-2232
- Mayo Clinic Health System
- (507)931-2110
