{"id":21173,"date":"2026-03-11T10:40:14","date_gmt":"2026-03-11T10:40:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/uncategorized\/are-you-a-hypervigilant-caregiver\/"},"modified":"2026-04-10T06:11:38","modified_gmt":"2026-04-10T06:11:38","slug":"are-you-a-hypervigilant-caregiver","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/positive-living\/health-and-wellness\/caregiving\/family-caregiving\/advice-for-caregivers\/are-you-a-hypervigilant-caregiver\/","title":{"rendered":"Are You a Hypervigilant Caregiver?"},"content":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s easy to see how the demands of caregiving can lead to a state known as hypervigilance. Merriam-Webster defines it<\/a> as \u201cextreme or excessive vigilance: the state of being highly or abnormally alert to potential danger or threat.\u201d Simply put, all that you do to keep your loved one as physically and mentally healthy as possible requires your attention\u2014and a great deal of it. That balance can get out of whack and you can neglect yourself.<\/p>\n

\u201cHypervigilance is really a sense of always being on\u2014not feeling that you have the opportunity to seek any respite, that you can\u2019t turn off, you can\u2019t turn inward, because your directional focus is continually outward,\u201d said Erin C. Phipps, LCSW, owner of House of Joy in Denver<\/a>. \u201cSo, I might say, \u2018What do you do for yourself\u2014what do you do for rest or what do you like to do?\u2019 If as a caregiver, that\u2019s very difficult to answer, it may be that you are in a pattern of hypervigilance due to the requirements of the individual that you care for.\u201d<\/p>\n

There\u2019s no equation that causes a hypervigilant state, but various factors can contribute, including: how long you\u2019ve been a caregiver, trauma, the particular challenges of a loved one\u2019s chronic condition, difficult healthcare systems to navigate, your lifelong familial role and how naturally resilient you may or may not be. If you are in a hypervigilant state, what matters is finding your way back to yourself as you care for your loved one.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe opposite of hypervigilance may be presence or calmness, awareness\u2014all of these things that sort of open your scope a little bit so that your vigilance isn\u2019t continually directed outward,\u201d Phipps said. \u201cYou can have a more reciprocal exchange for your own needs, as well as those of the individual that you care for. Seeking opportunities to take care of yourself is very important.\u201d<\/p>\n

Phipps offered the following suggestions to help you strike a counterbalance if you feel that you\u2019re a hypervigilant caregiver:<\/p>\n