Caregiving Is Hard
No doubt about it, having to provide care for a loved one is hard! The job of being a caregiver for most of us is generally a daily struggle of many ups and downs. We often go thru our days in a blur trying to get everything done and then beat ourselves up when we think we’ve missed the mark.
But recently, as I reflected back over my experience as a caregiver, I realized the daily grind of traffic jams to and from work, and office politics was also a battle of sorts just in a different arena. Not to say that caregiving doesn’t have its challenges, it most certainly does, but so does every area of life. And, if you’re like me, the word “hard’ wasn’t in my vocabulary, it was what I had to do for my mom.
Caregiver’s Share
Many caregivers I met who attended the support group meetings were at various stages of their journeys and thankfully they shared the few tips below about:
what they had learned
what they feared
what they wished they had known before they started caregiving.
What would they do differently
And I found there were common threads we all had experienced in our journeys as caregivers that I’d like to share with you today.
6 Blessings OF Being A Caregiver
1 - You have a chance to be a blessing now and share your life story as a memoir legacy - Sadly many caregivers including myself, regret not having listened more closely to a loved one about their lives and experiences that can be passed on to our own children and family.
2 - Keeping an attitude of gratitude –and a grateful heart that even though your situation may not be what you would like it to be – just remember it could always be worse.
3 - Work to maintain your health and well being thru diet, exercise, Take time away from caregiving to maintain friendships, social contacts, and professional networks, and pursue the hobbies and interests that bring you joy.
4- Be thankful Researchers are constantly finding new cures and treatments for many ailments. So we can be grateful that we have the chance to get ahead of the game and take preventive measures by educating ourselves, making lifestyle changes if necessary and research the possibility of heredity issues in our family tree.
5- Realizing how quickly things in life can change, make every moment count in your life with your loved ones while you’re in good health and be a bridge between the generation gap in your family.
6- Put yourself in your loved ones shoes for a day - and then be thankful it was just for a day, to become more aware of the trials and tribulations they are going thru on a daily basis.
It doesn’t matter whether it is Alzheimers, cancer, Parkinson's, heart disease or stroke, in the overall scheme of things, the caregivers job remains the same, and your experience will depend on how well you learn to roll with the punches.
So, on your down days, and believe me you will have them, you might stop and think about the blessings you’ve received from your experiences as a caregiver, and also it might just be the perfect time to reflect on your own life and health and flip the script so to speak.
Finally – One more blessing: Since there are not many things in life we can be certain about, we have the opportunity as caregivers to be the playwright of our own lives. We can plan ahead, and not wait for the problems to come knocking at our door. We can start now to put a plan in place and leave a legacy, that will allow our loved ones to be sure they are making the right choices for us - just in case the hand of fate brings the same problem our way one day.
Be Well - Stay Well - Because Caregivers Need Care Too!!
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Coach Gloria
Life Strategies/Wellness Coach & Patient Advocate
Owner: GJ Brown & Associates
Blog: Glo’s Caregiver Wellness Connection
Email: gbrown1gjba@gmail.com
Website: http://gbrown1gjba.wix.com/caregiverwellness