The Sandwich Generation: Balancing Care for Aging Parents and Growing Kids

Life in the sandwich generation can feel like an impossible juggling act. If you’re caring for aging parents while raising children, you’re not alone. This stage—often hitting in your 30s, 40s, or 50s—can be emotionally, physically, and financially overwhelming. Managing both ends of caregiving can lead to stress, burnout, and guilt.

I know this firsthand. When my dad died, I had a newborn and a toddler. I was sleep-deprived, physically depleted, and deep in the fog of early motherhood. At the same time, I was navigating the heartbreak of losing a parent, feeling the pull to care for my own children while also trying to process my grief and support my mom. The weight of it all was crushing—trying to hold space for my kids while feeling like I was barely holding myself together.

As a Denver, CO-based therapist specializing in life transitions, grief, and nervous system regulation, I work with many people who are navigating these challenges. The sandwich generation often feels like there’s never enough of you to go around. Therapy can help you manage emotions, set boundaries, and make space for your own needs without feeling like you’re failing someone in the process.

What is the Sandwich Generation?

The “sandwich generation” refers to adults responsible for both children and aging parents. Balancing these roles often leads to:

• Chronic stress and exhaustion

• Anxiety and feeling stretched too thin

• Grief over a parent’s decline or loss

• Guilt about not “doing enough”

• Relationship strain

How Therapy Can Help

If you’re feeling overwhelmed, therapy can help you:

1. Manage Stress and Prevent Burnout

Therapy provides tools to regulate your nervous system, reduce stress, and build resilience so you can keep showing up for those who depend on you.

2. Set Boundaries

Many struggle with saying no. Therapy helps you communicate healthy boundaries, preventing caregiving from depleting your well-being.

3. Process Grief and Transitions

Watching a parent decline or grieving their loss while raising children brings complex emotions. Therapy offers space to process grief and navigate these changes with clarity and self-compassion.

4. Strengthen Relationships

Balancing caregiving with your own life can strain relationships. Therapy can support communication with partners, siblings, and family.

5. Reconnect with Yourself

With so much focus on others, it’s easy to lose sight of your own needs. Therapy helps you explore aspirations and carve out time for joy.

Support for the Sandwich Generation in Denver, CO

If you’re feeling overwhelmed by caregiving, therapy can provide relief. I specialize in grief, life transitions, and caregiving stress. I understand firsthand how heavy this load can be, and I want you to know—you don’t have to carry it alone.

Reach out today to schedule a consultation and find the support that you need and deserve.

Looking for help? Contact me to learn more about therapy for the sandwich generation in Denver, CO.