For Those of You Who Want to Know More …
As you probably know, self-growth is very important to us at Courage to Caregivers, and that includes growing our minds. One of the best ways to ensure that our minds keep growing and developing in a positive way is by staying curious.
A healthy level of curiosity allows us to do things that we might have thought we couldn’t do. We can expand our ability to solve problems when we have the curiosity to seek out new solutions and ask how others responded in similar situations. We can become more creative and more imaginative when we look into new ways to express ourselves. And we can gain a deeper connection to the world around us when we open our minds to new things, just by asking who, what, where, when, why, and how.
Our curiosity also can help us replace our fear of the unknown. It takes both courage and curiosity to face things that we do not understand or that might be unfamiliar to us. As Brené Brown says, “Curiosity is an act of vulnerability and courage. We need to be brave enough to want to know more.” By taking that first step, we are admitting that we don’t know, and that can be the hardest step of all.
And one more thing … curiosity is FUN. It’s fun to expand our knowledge and experience new things. When you look at our tips for satisfying your curiosity – finding new foods from different countries and cultures; reading books from a new genre; watching a show, movie or TED talk on a topic you don’t know about; trying a new sport or activity; exploring a new city, language, or experience – all of these are fun things to do.
And while we’re on the subject of expanding our knowledge, with May being Mental Health Awareness Month, I’m sharing some facts this week from “On Pins and Needles: Caregivers of Adults with Mental Illness Study” (2016), in case you’re curious and want to know more about caregivers:
Caregivers of an adult with a mental or emotional health issue have been in their role for an average of 8.7 years (compared to four years for any other illness).
Mental health caregivers most often care for a relative (88%), with 45% caring for an adult son or daughter; 14% caring for a parent; 11% helping a spouse; and 9% caring for a sibling.
About four in ten mental health caregivers do not think (20%) or are not sure (19%) that their recipient’s mental health issues have been diagnosed accurately. It took an average of 11.8 years to get that diagnosis, and 11% say it took 16 years or longer to get to a diagnosis that the caregiver felt was accurate.
There’s no doubt that caregivers are strong, persistent, and caring. Just remember to stay curious as well, and explore what YOU want to explore.