I have been doing some on-line research about Anhedonia, which means a persistent lack of joy,even when good things happen. In other words, if someone with anhedonia found a $100 dollar bill, they would feel no joy whatsoever. I would suppose that a lot of caregivers have anhedonia; I know I have it, but it was so gradual and I don't really remember when it started. I cannot blame it entirely on caregiving, but it probably started due to the usual life stresses, such as failed romantic relationships, etc. I think anhedonia is a form of depression, but some people with depression still feel joy at times, but with anhedonia, their moods are consistently flat. I am totally able to function, and eat and sleep well, but I am unsure how much caregiving contributes to anhedonia. I do think it is much harder caring for an aging parent, then it would be caring for an elderly person who was not a relative, as there is so much more emotion involved when seeing your parent in poor physical condition. Anyway, I would be interested to hear if other caregivers who visit this site feel they have anhedonia as well, and how they handle their lack of joy.
I haven't had ahedonia, but I have noticed my time is collapsing. The days and nights are so short. Sometimes I want to stay up all night just to make the day longer, but I know I'll feel bad the next day if I do. Weeks are only a day long and a year passes by in no time. I wish I could get time to slow down.