Newsletters — Blog — Courage to Caregivers

November Newsletter: Collaboration ... We are Better TOGETHER

"Connection is the energy that is created between people when they feel seen, heard and valued - when they can give and receive without judgment." ~ Brené Brown

As caregivers, we often feel isolated and alone in our caregiving.

The journey as a mental illness caregiver is especially lonely, as we feel it isn’t OUR story to tell - it’s our loved one’s story of living with mental illness (or other serious illness).

As caregivers, we often feel judged or shamed for our actions (or lack of actions) - and this makes it hard to connect with those we feel "don't understand" or in relationships where we don't feel safe sharing – or being vulnerable – as our most authentic true selves.

Courage to Caregivers brings together caregivers and has created a community of CARE. A place where you’ll never feel alone in your caregiving again. Where you are accepted for who you are (and that's SO much MORE than "just" your caregiving responsibilities).

We are here to support you - as a caregiver - as YOU - in your personal growth journey towards greater health and well-being. 💙 When you take care of yourself (too), you provide better care to those you love.

Check out the November newsletter here focus on our theme of Collaboration here.

October Newsletter: What's in YOUR Courage Tool Kit?

"Courage doesn't always roar. Sometimes the courage is the quiet at the end of the day saying 'I will try again tomorrow.'" ~ Mary Anne Radmacher

You may have wondered why we chose COURAGE to be a part of our nonprofit's name. For me, courage is something that is essential in a caregiver’s tool box, and it often feels ‘depleted.’ Courage to Caregivers aims to support caregivers by empowering them to channel their ‘inner’ courage - whether it’s a little or a lot. And, yes, it doesn’t always roar!

Brené Brown says it best in her book The Gifts of Imperfection: "The root of the word courage is cor – the Latin word for heart. In one of its earliest forms, the word courage had a very different definition than it does today. Courage originally meant ‘To speak one’s mind by telling all one’s heart.’

“Over time, this definition has changed, and today, courage is more synonymous with being heroic. Heroics is important and we certainly need heroes, but I think we’ve lost touch with the idea that speaking honestly and openly about who we are, about what we’re feeling, and about our experiences (good and bad) is the definition of courage.

“Heroics is often about putting our life on the line. Ordinary courage is about putting our vulnerability on the line. In today’s world that’s pretty extraordinary.”

We show ordinary courage in those micro-moments we demonstrate every day as caregivers. It may feel like micro-courage - yet, showing up every day and being vulnerable – that’s ordinary courage. It can be HARD - it definitely takes EXTRAordinary bravery and strength.

Check out the October newsletter here focus on our theme of Courage here.

September Newsletter: Attitude is one of your SUPERpowers

In my research around our theme for September of attitude - I found a LOT of different attitudes about ATTITUDE. I was looking for an expert, and it turns out a lot of people have a lot of opinions about attitude and the role it plays in our lives. Where I can see they ALL agree: our attitude is OURS - we OWN it.

My #1 SHEro Brené Brown helped me by keeping it simple ... "An attitude is a way of THINKING." She compares it to having a practice: "a practice is a way of doing, trying, failing and trying again."

This really helped me to focus in on attitude and my THOUGHTS. Attitudes are evaluations of “things” (attitude objects) - a person, a product or social group.

Turns out we each hold thousands of attitudes - some of these are inherited and some are learned. AND ... no matter what the attitude is, WE hold the control.

Check out the September newsletter focused on our theme of Attitude here!

Attitude, NewslettersKristi HornerSeptember 29, 2022Persistence, reali, copi, Attitude

August Newsletter: Treat Your Body As a Temple - Nourish Your Mind-Body-Soul

We have spent most of this year talking about ways to nourish your soul, but it’s equally important to NOURISH YOUR BODY. Throughout August, we shared ways to NOURISH your body, develop a positive body IMAGE, MOVE your body, and REST your body with good sleep hygiene.

August is also National Wellness Month. At Courage to Caregivers, we're focused on supporting caregivers to make their health and well-being a priority ALL year LONG!

When we make deliberate choices to improve our physical and mental health, we are showing that we have worth and value. This exercise in validating the importance of our very existence is essential in building self-esteem ... it's also self-RESPECT.

Your body is a temple and deserves to be shown the highest form of respect and reverence. The result is increased life expectancy, fewer health issues, improved mental health, and more energy and enthusiasm.

Your body is also the essential component of your existence. You have two choices. Either treat it as dispensable and unimportant, resulting in disease and illness. Or treat it with respect by making an effort to fill it with healthy foods and liquids, to keep it strong through regular and consistent movement, and to recharge it with rest/sleep.

When you do something good for your body, it also is a gift to your brain and emotions. When your physical, emotional, and cognitive health are good, these are gifts to the people you love.

Check out the August newsletter focused on our theme of Your Body is a Temple here!

July Newsletter: You Have the Power to Grow

Growing is hard. It’s difficult to unlearn the habits, thoughts, and feelings that you’ve learned and taken on throughout your life.

Is there an aspect in your life that you want to improve upon? Maybe it’s getting out and playing more, maybe it’s remembering to set your phone down and be present in the world, or maybe it’s just wanting to learn more about yourself and others. Maybe it’s setting a sleep schedule, trying new foods and mindfully eating, or moving your body in a way that’s fun for you.

When you know that “You Have the Power to Grow,” you can do anything. Accepting different perspectives becomes a little easier, understanding different backgrounds and experiences is easier, and gaining knowledge and understanding becomes easier. July is also Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) Mental Health Awareness Month, and these communities can face unique struggles. By understanding the unique struggles that BIPOC individuals face, we can expand our worldview to better support BIPOC communities. Having the power to grow can mean that you’re ready and willing to change the way that you see the world and how you navigate the world. However you choose to grow, just know that we support you and your journey towards becoming the best version of yourself (that you desire).

Check out the July Newsletter focused on YOU HAVE THE POWER TO GROW here.

June Newsletter: Grow Through What You Go Through 🌱

Empowerment is a "form of strength that stems from the self and community." It's also a process of BECOMING. Becoming stronger, and more confident.

Empowerment is important for ourselves - self-empowerment and OTHERS. As caregivers, when we change the paradigm from "caring for others" to "EMPOWERING others" - just think of the possibilities!

These are all reasons that empowerment is in our tagline - Courage to Caregivers aspires to provide essential tools of resilience to our participants. We can't do it FOR you - yet we can inspire, coach and support you in your journey of personal growth as you pursue and achieve your goals. 🙌 Then, this allows YOU to empower others - those in your care as well as other caregivers.

Empowerment includes "being given the means or opportunity to improve your situation." We know that the stress of caregiving can lead to caregiver burnout. How can you better cope/manage the stress of caregiving? AND how can we best support you?

Check out the June Newsletter focused on CREATIVE EMPOWERMENT here.

May Newsletter: GROWTH MINDSET ... it's truly the POWER of YET 🌱

Having a fixed mindset is telling yourself that you (and your loved one) can't change.

Having a growth mindset is reminding yourself that you are a perfectly imperfect perpetual work in progress and that anything is possible.

It's NEVER too late to cultivate a growth mindset - your brain is like a rubber band and science tells us that you can learn new things. It starts with believing.

You don't get really good at something - anything - without practice. Your brain is a muscle - give your growth mindset a good workout today!

Check out the May Newsletter focused on GROWTH MINDSET here.

April Newsletter: Finding Your Place in the WORLD 🌎

For the last three months we've been looking INTERNALLY - from dreaming BIG to mindfulness - we've been on a journey of self-discovery.

As caregivers, we often lose OURSELVES, as we are providing care to others. We place all of our focus on our loved ones needs, their medical appointments, medications and care plan. We often forget (or don't prioritize) our own health and well-being.

This month's been ALL about finding our place in the WORLD Sound BIG and lofty to you? It doesn't need to be!

Check out the April Newsletter focused on FINDING YOUR PLACE IN THE WORLD here.

April was also Stress Awareness Month. The April 2021 Newsletter included all our favorite resources for stress. Stress is a part of life ... but doesn’t have to knock us flat. We can't eliminate the stress of caregiving - yet, we CAN find ways to better cope/manage our stressors.

March Newsletter: Mindfulness to Cope With Stress

Mindfulness has many benefits! It's been found to support you in regulating emotions, managing stress and leading to greater overall health and well-being. Our theme of MINDFULNESS in March fits under the composure domain of resilience. Composure - in regards to resilience - is about learning to regulate our emotions. It's also about the "little things" - being mindful in the moment. Sounds easy, right? It's HARD!

Check out our March Newsletter focused on MINDFULNESS here.

February Newsletter: Finding Yourself Again ... The Journey of Self-Discovery

In my most active caregiving days, I felt as if I had lost myself - who I was at my very core. Throughout February, as we explored our theme of Self-Discovery, we dug deep to identify our strengths and opportunities for growth, developed our understanding of self-confidence and worked hard on our self-love.

When I think about who has helped me with my own journey of self-discovery, that's right, you guessed it, the work of Brené Brown has been like having a personal life coach. She's taught me to cultivate courage and live my most authentic self. This is HARD!

Check out our February Newsletter focused on SELF-DISCOVERY here.

Self-Discovery, NewslettersKristi HornerFebruary 24, 2022Strengths, Self-Confidence, Opportunity, Self-Love

January Newsletter: You can be a dreamer ... and a doer, too!

Under our theme of DREAM BIG this month, we started with our vision for ourselves. Our vision clarifies our values and includes goals around those values. We explored creating your personal timeline, identifying your core values and personal mission statement, as well as focusing on what brings you joy.

It turns out that VISION is the most important domain of resilience. This is because all the other domains focus on what you want to achieve, and you can't take action to achieve something without a VISION!

Are you a dreamer? (I am!) Dreaming is all about envisioning a way forward. Looking ahead at the person you aspire to be. It requires digging deep and sometimes being vulnerable. It can be scary and exciting at the same time.

With YOUR vision for YOUR life, you know where you are headed. It's literally your roadmap for this journey of life.

Check out our January Newsletter focused on DREAMING BIG here.