Finding Balance: Caregiver Self Care [Video]

With over 53 million caregivers in America, we are likely to face caregiver challenges at some point in our lives. As Rosalynn Carter reminded us: “There are only four kinds of people in the world: those who have been caregivers, those who are currently caregivers, those who will be caregivers, and those who will need caregivers.”

Caregiving can be thrust upon us, or it can build up over time. We may take on the role with love in our hearts, or experience anger, fear, or other uncomfortable feelings. No matter what our relationship is to the caregiving task, we are entitled to our feelings, and we need to protect ourselves with self-care. I’m making a case for finding balance by putting our needs first sometimes. We do it by grounding ourselves with compassion, enjoying sensory pleasures, and mindful moments.

In the past, I’ve been a caregiver to three family members. Many times, I thought I would break, but I didn’t. Today, I explore how I got through those challenging times, how I remind myself that I can’t live to care for others, and what reasonable self-care for the caregiver can look like. In this episode, I touch on:

-How I’ve added balance to my life as a family caregiver by carving out time for self-care
-Reaffirming the idea that you are the center of your life (even while caregiving)
-Using tools like listening, patience, mindfulness, and reducing reactivity
Putting your caregiving in context and the importance of kicking shame and self-judgment to the curb
-Making time for mindful moments

Want to reengage with yourself and put creative self-care back on your to-do list? Head over to my website: https://www.lettheverseflow.com and sign up for my free newsletter, the Me-Time Mixtape. Three times per month, I’ll send you 3 essential, hand-curated links/resources on creative self-care tips, tools, and strategies.

Poem: Sit Down Awhile

Music: All music for my podcast is sourced and licensed for use via https://www.soundstripe.com.)

Songs in this episode: Office Party 2 by Nu Alkemi$t; Slide by GEMM; Stillness by DeHartmann; Purple Baggin by Sam Barsh; Pyaar Kee Seemaen by Cast of Characters

Resources:
Rosalynn Carter Institute; (Caregiver Stress course within the app): https://rosalynncarter.org/?ref=lettheverseflow.com

Unwinding App: https://www.unwindingbysharecare.com/?ref=lettheverseflow.com

Tiny Buddha article: Hope for the Grieving : https://tinybuddha.com/blog/hope-for-the-grieving-you-will-make-it-through/

Related Episodes:
#9: Mindful Breathing: https://youtu.be/5QDFgSUwdsQ
#20: Affirmation Meditation: Keep Your Dreams Alive: https://youtu.be/6Q8ozGbtFe4
#22: Affirmation Meditation for Creative Flow: https://youtu.be/g2kqJrsWrQ4
#23 Overcoming Overthinking: https://youtu.be/QqggE1wYH0w
#24: Affirmation Meditation to Overcome Overthinking: https://youtu.be/xDAJ2g9–_c

Journal Prompts to Encourage Caregiver Self-Care:
1. What have your mind and body been telling you about your daily life these days?

2. How can you make your life more central to your daily priorities? What mental shift or actions do you need to take to remind yourself that your life matters too?

3. What are three self-care rituals that you can do in the next month that would fit with the demands of your life right now?

Prefer to read this episode? Read the complete episode in blog format here: https://www.lettheverseflow.com

Visit my website: https://www.lettheverseflow.com
Subscribe to the channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTfKTzlihHokaBe9UPOo30A
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Podcast:
Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/let-the-verse-flow-personal-growth-thru-a-creative-lens/id1690045824?ref=lettheverseflow.com
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/16oERbpl5GWFw0tpRNabjv?si=ab8969fbae094164
Podlink: https://pod.link/1690045824

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