Be Playful, Break the Rules, and Just Move

We often hear from busy caregivers that finding time to exercise is often the biggest challenge. For me, it’s about prioritizing movement. When we have so many other priorities, it can be hard to fit movement into our day if we think of it as separate from everything else and one more thing that we “have to” do.

That’s why, as we explore this week’s topic of move your body, I want to share two articles from our friends at the American Institute of Stress that are great resources for busy caregivers.

Your Body is a TempleKristi HornerAugust 18, 2022Movement, Move Your Body

The “Magic” of Body Kindness

The ability to accept our bodies as they are and identify the qualities and strengths that we possess, instead of trying to change our bodies to fit the expectations of society, is a way to build our self-esteem. Your body is an incredible machine, capable of sustaining life and completing complex tasks every minute. When you stop all the self-criticism, shame, and judgment once and for all, you will find that YOU can do magic!

Your Body is a TempleKristi HornerAugust 11, 2022Body Image

Show Your Body the Respect It Deserves

At Courage to Caregivers, we’re focused on holistic wellness – supporting the WHOLE YOU in your journey of health and well-being as a caregiver for someone with mental illness. And so, a lot of what we talk about involves our feelings, our emotions, and our soul. But we must remember to take care of the body, too. Our physical health is just as important as our mental and emotional well-being as we strive for holistic wellness. Everything we do affects all three of these types of well-being, and the way we care for one of them affects the other two.

Your Body is a TempleKristi HornerAugust 4, 2022Nourish Yourself

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.

Learn to Play (Again), and You Learn to Grow

Writer Diane Ackerman had this to say about this week’s topic: “Play is our brain’s favorite way of learning.”

Unfortunately, we adults too often get so immersed in our responsibilities that we forget the value of play. As children, we learned through play, and we grew through play. It wasn’t just fun and entertainment. Through play, children learn how to use their imaginations, cooperate with others, achieve goals, and much more. There’s no reason why that has to stop after we grow up. And that’s why we chose “play” as one of the topics for this month’s theme of “You Have the Power to Grow.”

You Have Power to GrowKristi HornerJuly 21, 2022Play

It’s Easier to Move if You’re Unplugged

As writer Anne Lamott said, “Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes, including you.” So if you’d like to unplug right now to recharge and reconnect, by all means, do so! Maybe you can take this opportunity to participate in our Move With Courage challenge, which encourages movement of ANY kind, to help all of us improve our physical and mental health.

And after that, when you reconnect, you’ll find that everything is still working, including us … for YOU.

You Have Power to GrowKristi HornerJuly 14, 2022Media Consumption

Finding It Hard to Get Motivated? You Have the Power to Make It Easy!

It’s July, and not only do we have a new theme for the month – “You Have the Power to Grow” – but we’re also “off and running” with our first-ever nationwide virtual fundraising event, Move With Courage. Maybe our challenge to encourage movement of ANY kind, to help you improve your physical and mental health, will give you some extra motivation and self-discipline, which happens to be our topic for this week.

You Have Power to GrowKristi HornerJuly 7, 2022Self-Discipline, Motivation

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.

Sometimes, You Have to Close Your Window

This week’s topic requires courage, self-awareness, and an understanding of the difference between healthy and unhealthy behaviors. Sounds like a lot, I know, but setting healthy boundaries is so important to having strong relationships and personal growth that it’s well worth the effort.

Creative EmpowermentKristi HornerJune 23, 2022Healthy Boundaries, Boundaries

Take a Creativity Break … You Won’t Be Graded!

One of the best ways we have to express ourselves is by being creative. Our creative activities allow us to take time away from our challenges, to let our emotions rest, to spend mindful moments immersed in something that we enjoy, and to express what’s inside ourselves.

A Message for You and Your Support Network

This week’s topic applies not only to caregivers but also to the people who support them. And it reminds me of something we refer to all of the time – the “ripple effect” of caregiving. If the person we care for, living with mental illness, is a pebble tossed into the water, we are that first ripple of support, and then more ripples are created around us to include family members, friends, associates, professionals, and everyone else we turn to for support. Ultimately, these ripples are all part of the wave of support for the loved one we care for, but we also are affected by the ripples.

Creative EmpowermentKristi HornerJune 9, 2022Holding Space, Silence

If I’m Wrong About This … Let Me Know

To be truly open-minded, we must allow ourselves to be vulnerable, and this enables us to grow. But always remember that it’s YOUR mind, and open-mindedness is in YOUR control.

Creative EmpowermentKristi HornerJune 2, 2022Open-Mindedness

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.

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.

Growth MindsetKristi HornerMay 19, 2022Curiosity, Staying Curious

Humor: The Universal Language

This week’s topic is all about one of the greatest stress relievers: the power of happiness and laughter. Although the emotional roller coaster of caregiving may make us feel awkward or uncomfortable to experience happiness and laughter during stressful times, it’s important to remember that humor is one of our most natural responses to difficult situations, and it has proven benefits for our emotional health.

Growth MindsetKristi HornerMay 12, 2022Happiness, Laughter, Growth Mindset

Reality Check: There Are Many “Right” Solutions

This month’s theme is something we talk about a lot, relating to various topics. That’s because having a growth mindset is so important in our continuing efforts to improve ourselves and reach our full potential, whether it’s solving problems, meeting new challenges, or just trying something new.

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.

When We Bridge Our Differences, We All Can Grow

As caregivers, we have a lot of things in common. One of the most important is empathy. We use empathy to listen, understand, and connect with the emotions of others, especially with the loved ones that we care for. We see it as part of our responsibility as a caregiver.

My Place in the WorldKristi HornerApril 21, 2022Bridging Differences

The Two Sides of Stress

April is Stress Awareness Month, and we’ve said many times that the stress of caregiving has been found to take 10 years off a caregiver’s life. That’s why we focus so much on providing resources to help caregivers cope with stress. Learning how to manage the stress of caregiving can literally save your life!

My Place in the WorldKristi HornerApril 14, 2022Understanding Stress, Stress

Accept Reality, Not Illusions

This month, we begin a new theme of “My Place in the World,” and this week’s topic of letting go/surrender can be a difficult one for many people. I know it is for me. After many struggles, I now prefer to think in terms of “let it be.”

At first glance, this idea of letting go or surrendering might seem to contradict what we’re all about at Courage to Caregivers. We’re all about making progress, empowerment, and not giving up, right? Well, of course we are.

But the type of surrender we’re talking about can actually lead to greater empowerment. When we refuse to live under an illusion – when we recognize that there are some things we just can’t control, and there is no point in trying to fight a battle that we can’t win – we allow ourselves to move on to other things in life, where we CAN make progress, and where our strengths and abilities CAN make a difference.

My Place in the WorldKristi HornerApril 7, 2022Letting Go, Surrender, Radical Acceptance