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Subject: 😔 When Guilt Sneaks In: Handling “Stuck in the Middle” Pressures

Stuck in the Middle – Issue 228 – Monday Nov 3 2025

👋 Welcome

Hello and welcome! If you’re new here – thanks for joining the community of folks caring for parents, raising kids, working hard and trying to keep a solid relationship intact. To continue receiving these newsletters, simply reply SUBSCRIBE.
Let’s dive into something many of us carry but rarely talk about: guilt.

🧠 Big Thought

Being “stuck in the middle” is emotionally complex. You might feel that you aren’t doing enough for your aging parent, your child, your partner—or you fear whichever choice you make will “short-change” someone.
Research shows adult children caregivers often feel guilt tied to competing roles, changing relationships and unrealistic expectations. The Guardian+3manifold.counseling.org+3The Open Nursing Journal+3
But here’s the key insight: guilt isn’t always a signal of failure—it can be a signal of value conflict. When our values outpace our capacity, we feel the tension of “should vs can.”
Recognizing guilt as a compass (not a condemnation) allows you to use it to redirect, not to beat yourself up.

🧰 Money Moves

Here are free, verified resources to help you manage guilt—financially, emotionally, physically.

1. Free counselling/ support helpline for caregivers.
   Example: AARP’s article “Overcome Feelings of Guilt to Avoid Caregiver Burnout” lists boundaries and self-care tactics. AARP
   Action: Call your local area agency on aging or search “caregiver support line” + your ZIP for free help.

2. Budget-audit for “what am I sacrificing?”
   Guilt often comes from perceived “losing” — time, money, freedom. Create a simple spreadsheet listing what you’re giving up and what you need to keep (sleep, health check-ups, relationship time).
   Then scan for low-cost supports (e.g., community respite care) that can preserve those essentials.

3. Set guilt-boundaries via self-care plan.
   Use the list from the article “Guilt and Grief as a Caregiver: Common Causes and 7 Tips for Prevention” (free blog). California Caregiver Resource Centers
   Action: Choose 2 items this week (e.g., delegate one task, schedule a 20-minute walk) and mark them as non-negotiable on your calendar.

🛠️ Tool of the Week

Free workbook: “Guilt & Burnout in Caregiving”
Use the free PDF from caregiver advocacy sites (search “caregiver guilt workbook PDF”).
It gives guided prompts like:

• “The last time I felt guilt, I thought: …”

• “What it meant for me: …”

• “What I can do in the next 24 hrs: …”
  Set aside 10-15 min this week to work through one section — it’s a tangible way to interrupt the automatic guilt loop.

📰 Reads

Here are three excellent, free, publicly accessible articles on guilt in caregiving / middle-generation stress:

• “Guilt, worry, resentment: how the ‘club sandwich’ generation juggles caring for parents, children and grandparents” – The Guardian (Oct 13, 2024)
  URL: https://www . theguardian . com / society / 2024 / oct / 13 / guilt-worry-resentment-its-all-part-of-the-sandwich-generation The Guardian

• “Overcome Feelings of Guilt to Avoid Caregiver Burnout” – AARP
  URL: https://www . aarp . org / caregiving / life-balance / overcome-caregiver-guilt / AARP

• “Guilt and Grief as a Caregiver: Common Causes and 7 Tips for Prevention” – Caregiver California
  URL: https://www . caregivercalifornia . org / 2022 / 04 / 30 / guilt-and-grief-as-a-caregiver-common-causes-and-7-tips-for-prevention / California Caregiver Resource Centers

🤝 SKOOL COMMUNITY

Want to connect with fellow middle-generation caregivers who get it? Join our community:
https://www . skool . com / stuck-in-the-middle-community-1730 / about?ref=4956bcfb588b4962b89c23002360ff83

💬 Connect With People Who Get It
Caregiving can feel isolating — and so can relationship stress.
Join our private Facebook group to talk to others who truly understand.
👉 https://www.facebook.com/groups/stuckinthemiddlenews

💬 Reply & Engage Prompt

What’s the one guilt-thought that keeps replaying in your mind lately? Hit reply and share it with me—let’s lighten the load together.

↗️ Share the Relief

If this issue resonated, forward it to a friend or colleague who’s also “stuck in the middle.” The more we share, the less alone we feel.

P.S. Next month we’ll explore how to talk to your partner about “invisible” caregiving stress—so you both stay connected, not just busy