The swirl of negative thoughts and emotions is a significant cause of caregiver anxiety and overwhelm. The worries take over our headspace during the day and keep us awake at night. Our thinking and decisions are as blurred as our eyes from lack of sleep. When overwhelmed, our self-confidence suffers. We feel powerless. Reframing our […]
Calm the Caregiver Overwhelm Read More »
During the time that I cared for Dad, I experienced the raging river of emotions that comes with caring for a family member. Overwhelmed and drowning, I navigated toward a more sustainable caregiving experience. When I learned to set boundaries, use mindfulness to enhance awareness, and identify when winning was losing, I began to manage
6 Sustainable Caregiving Strategies Read More »
Would you like to up your self-care game? As a caregiver, you likely hear a lot about self-care. The idea of fitting self-care into your schedule might even add unwelcome stress. When you know the different types of self-care, you can identify the missing components and add activities that will enhance your well-being. Fun bonus:
6 Types of Caregiver Self-Care Read More »
A healthy ego is a positive, productive tool that helps us maintain and thrive in relationships. A scarred ego has been damaged by repeated conflict and can seem to have a mind and motive of its own. Rather than help us seek win/win results, the ego may see the only path to winning is a
Caregiving Conflict: The Role of the Ego Read More »
“A person’s success in life can usually be measured by the number of uncomfortable conversations he or she is willing to have.” Timothy Ferriss National Healthcare Decisions Day (NHDD) is April 16! NHDD focuses on vital end-of-life decisions. It is critical to have these discussions before an illness or accident because a plan to wait
Sustainable Aging and End-of-Life Conversations Read More »
My journey on the Caregiver River started in rough water and became increasingly more challenging until I was out of the raft altogether and almost completely submerged. As I reflect on the last seven years, I see the experience as a crystal clear rite of passage. I was wholly unprepared when I started this adventure.
Lessons Learned on the Caregiver River Read More »
Changing roles and responsibilities Caregiving changes our relationships. If our care recipient is our parent, our relationship shifts from parent / adult child to caree / caregiver. It may be a gradual shift over several years or a sudden shift in the case of a hospitalization or a disease diagnosis. Regardless of the pace of
Sustainable Caregiving: Boundaries Read More »
Skydiving A few years ago, for his 94th birthday, Dad wanted to jump out of a plane. He brought it up every day with an insistence that triggered my angst. I discouraged, deflected, and resisted. Dad mentioned his objective to his Primary Care Physician, who said, “Why not?” It was one of those rhetorical questions that
The Art of Acquiescence Read More »
