I’m doing the best I can … each and every day. Some days are harder than others (remember – I’m a work in progress).
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Being a work in progress is really a gift to yourself. No matter what you celebrate this Holiday Season, make time for YOU this week.
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For caregivers, mindfulness means learning to live in the moment, accepting the reality of our situation, and filtering out distractions. It allows us to be fully aware of where we are and what we’re doing, while not being overly reactive or overwhelmed by what is happening around us.
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Be brave! Ask for help, and accept it – from other people, as well as your Higher Power.
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“A vacation is what you take when you can no longer take what you've been taking.” – Earl Wilson With the holiday season already upon us, and all of the added responsibilities and activities this season brings to our already busy lives, it’s important to recognize that we all need a break now and then.
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What makes life worth living? I was asked to identify the top three things for me that make life worth living .. Our interconnectedness makes us stronger - the power of YET - emotions and feelings.
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Let’s face it – we never want to say “no.” For many caregivers, it just might be the most difficult word in the English language. We always want to help, and we want to do our best to meet any request. But as actress Claudia Black says, “Saying no can be the ultimate self-care.”
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NOBODY should have to navigate the caregiving journey alone.
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A powerful form of self-care can also be when we give of ourselves to others. Spending time with others, focusing on the needs of those outside our immediate family, and supporting causes that benefit the community can help us gain new perspectives on life while doing something positive that matters.
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November is National Family Caregivers Month and I find it the perfect time to reach out to you with an important ask.
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Pets are incredible! They have a natural ability to calm and soothe humans. Animals don’t judge, they provide unconditional love, and they’re always a reliable source of empathy and companionship, just when you need it.
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Let’s face it, being a caregiver is hard work. Sometimes you just need to step away, separate yourself from your loved one, and do something you enjoy that has nothing to do with caregiving. Having a hobby is a great way to do that, and that’s our topic for this week.
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Today is World Mental Health Day, and the focus this year is on “40 Seconds of Action” to raise awareness about suicide and how each of us can help prevent it. That’s an idea that we can strongly support at Courage to Caregivers as we continue to promote conversations about living with mental illness.
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I’ve shared very personally over the years about almost every detail of that journey of providing love and support – so much so that each and every one of you has become like family to me. You have encouraged and supported me, and loved me through this.
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“We are stronger than we think. We have emotional, spiritual, and even physical resources at our disposal. We may get knocked down, but we don't have to stay down.” – Steve Goodier, author of One Minute Can Change a Life.
Since last week we focused on tangible financial assets, this week I thought it would be good to talk about intangible resources – those mental, emotional and spiritual aspects of our lives that support us, probably more than we know.
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Last week, we encouraged you that it’s OK to change the topic. This week, I hope you’ll resist that temptation because our new theme is Financial/Planning for the Future. And I know that finances rank right up there with politics and religion as subjects that people are uncomfortable discussing.
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Healthy boundaries are so important in relationships, but have you ever considered how important healthy boundaries are in our conversations? Sometimes, a conversation can lead us down a path we do not want to go.
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September is suicide prevention awareness month. It hits me every time ... hard. Before June 2010, when my brother first told me of his suicide ideation, September was just another month. It had always represented transitions, new beginnings, a fresh start – back-to-school and Fall. Now, I spend some time each September thinking about what makes suicide preventable.
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Most people who are caregivers didn’t choose that role. It was brought on by life circumstances. Our love for another individual led us to take on responsibilities that we had little experience or training for. The problem is that this may lead us to focus on caregiving largely to the exclusion of anything else. That’s when our own well-being can suffer, and that brings us to this week’s topic of “ME” time.
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Have you ever thought that no one else could care for your loved one as well as you? It’s a common attitude when people devote so much of themselves to caring for someone else. They’re reluctant to share any of the responsibility, and they refuse to accept help when they need it.
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