Live for the Moment … and You Might Live Longer

Did you know that the stress of caregiving could take up to 10 years off your life? That’s why it’s so important for caregivers to make stress-reducing behavior a priority in their self-care. And practicing mindfulness is one of the best ways to do that.

Being mindful just means focusing on the present while calmly recognizing and accepting your thoughts, feelings, and body sensations at that particular time. For caregivers, this means learning to live in the moment, accepting the reality of the situation, and filtering out distractions.

There are many things you can do to expand your mindfulness. Practicing meditation can enhance your perspective and reduce self-judgment. You can also make mindfulness part of your routine throughout your day while you’re doing just about anything.

The health benefits of mindful meditation are backed by solid research. As this article from Mindful magazine points out, practicing mindfulness can improve heart health, decrease cognitive decline from aging or Alzheimer’s, improve your immune response, reduce cell aging, and reduce psychological pain.

We know something about evidence-based research at Courage to Caregivers. Participants in our 2019 pilot Breathing Meditation program reported benefits that included reducing stress and being better able to manage stress through proper breathing techniques; sleeping better at night and being able to get back to sleep more effectively; gaining portable and sustainable self-care skills; and building resiliency.

If you want to see some examples of what our awesome Breathing Meditation Facilitators can do, we post our breathing meditation recordings weekly on YouTube, and you can subscribe here.

You may also want to try some of these meditation apps to help you recharge, relax, and improve focus.

Our new 2021 journal includes an overview of all our favorite breathing meditation techniques and affirmations - email me if you want to pre-order your copy!

And as with so many things, it helps to start small. Just begin by noticing your thoughts, moods, and the times you are self-judgmental. Most importantly, try to focus on the positives. For me, the hardest part of choosing mindfulness is that it’s so easy to notice only the things that make me feel bad, anxious, confused, or desperate. When I start this negative self-talk or self-judgment, I tell myself to STOP. My home office is covered in positive affirmations that remind me I’m doing the best I can, that progress comes in baby steps, and that I shouldn’t compare myself to others.

Mindfulness can help YOU, too, and you can practice it anytime and anywhere.