According to a Caring.com marriage survey, 80 percent of respondents said caregiving put a strain on their relationship or marriage. These findings probably don’t come as a surprise to you when you consider juggling aging parents with the demands of marriage, kids, careers and friendships. 

Here are five ways to balance caregiving while preserving the relationships in your life.

Set Reasonable Expectations

The Family Caregiver Alliance reports that 44 million Americans provide 37 billion hours of unpaid, “informal” care each year for adult family members and friends. Your own caregiving contribution may feel like just a few spare hours here and there, but can add up when trying to nurture other relationships at the same time.

Set expectations and healthy boundaries early when assuming a caregiving role. Let your parents know when you’re available to help and for what types of tasks, such as running errands or driving to the doctor’s office. Let them know you enjoy helping out but also that you have other responsibilities, so you won’t always be available. Then brainstorm a plan together on how to fill in care gaps.

Create Peace of Mind

It’s easy for caregivers to immerse themselves in their aging parent’s life and worry when they’re not nearby. Create peace of mind with daily calls on Skype, so you can see they’re physically doing OK.

You also can keep tabs on your loved ones with wearable technology like GreatCall. This fitness tracker for seniors lets your parents keep track of their step count, play daily challenge games to keep their minds alert and use an urgent response button if an emergency arises. You can even be notified by the senior fitness tracker if the urgent response button is pressed. You can also use the smartphone app to see how active your loved ones are each day.  

Ask for Help

It’s physically and emotionally impossible to do it all as a caregiver without sacrificing your health and other relationships. Build a supportive network of friends, family and hired help that can give you a break and fill in the gaps.

Getting help also means asking for your own personal support. Make time to schedule a date night with your spouse, grab coffee with a friend or call up a sibling and blow off a little steam to alleviate the caregiving stress.

Keep Lines of Communication Open

Caregiving often feels all-encompassing with little room to decompress, let alone the opportunity to catch up with loved ones. But shutting off the lines of communication can strain relationships and create a serious breakdown.

Stay transparent about what you’re dealing with as a caregiver, such as paying medical bills, managing medication and finding hired help. Remember there’s more to your life than just caregiving. Make communication about connecting, and prioritize being a good listener to the friends and family around you.

Make Personal Time

Caregivers aren’t much help to aging parents, or anyone else in their life, if they’re burned out and stressed. Remember to honor your own life by scheduling in regular downtime to recharge. Make an appointment for a much-needed massage, commit to walking every evening or pursue a favorite hobby to reconnect with yourself. The more grounded and centered you are in your own life, the healthier your relationships become.

Struggling to find balance as a caregiver can feel like an impossible feat, but it doesn’t have to mean a life of stress and loneliness.