- They feel exhausted, frustrated, and stressed as it is not a service given out of love or empathy.
- Caretakers don’t practice self-care.
- Caretakers think they know what’s best for others.
- They don’t take others’ opinions well. They are self-righteous about their views.
- Caretakers can overextend themselves, which leads to carer fatigue.
- A caretaker does not trust the other person’s ability to take care of themselves. They mostly discourage the other person from thinking for themselves.
- Caretakers are more likely to attract needy people.
- They start fixing whenever a problem arises.
- They feel unappreciated or resentful.
- Caretakers can be dramatic in the way they approach their problem-solving.
- They are more focused on the problem.
- They tend to use the judgmental “You” statements more.
On the other hand, we must not forget that each coin has two sides. Care recipients may also play a significant role here in building a harmful environment. They are not always the only victims. In a co-dependent relationship, the person being cared for can manipulate the carer to assume responsibility for solving their problems, making a burden on the carer heavier. In this way, each party contributes to the overall unhealthy relationship and makes it progressively worse while all suffer from the consequences.