Healing the Wounds of Trauma

❂❂ SMALL GROUP DISCUSSION Why do you think Pastor Jay is having all these problems?

2. How can we know if a caregiver is overloaded? ❂❂ SMALL GROUP DISCUSSION

1. Do you know people who have become so overloaded helping others that they became very discouraged or sick? What do they say? How do they behave? 2. Have you ever felt overloaded? Describe how you felt. Taking care of other people can wear us out. We can get so busy caring for others that we do not take time to care for ourselves. If we behave in some of the following ways, we may be overloaded: • Feeling angry or sad all the time. • Feeling tired and irritable. • Not sleeping well.

• Having problems with relationships. • Questioning the truth of our faith. • Questioning God’s goodness and power. • Beginning to believe the lies of Satan. • Becoming ill or having many accidents. • Resenting those who need our help.

If we have some of these symptoms for a long time, we need to change something in our situation. If we allowourselves to become exhausted, we will not be able to carry on with the work God has given us. 3. Why is it difficult to be a caregiver? ❂❂ SMALL GROUP DISCUSSION What difficulties have you experienced as you have cared for people? In times of crisis, many people have problems and need to talk to someone about them, so the caregiver’s work increases. They may face some of the following difficulties.

84

Caring for the Caregiver