Feeling Overwhelmed or Stuck as a Caregiver?
Are you feeling stuck? Are you feeling overwhelmed? Maybe you feel that each day is running together and you are just getting through.
I surely can relate. Especially those days when your spouse is so sick and you're sitting alone. Those days when you've so much on your plate and you don’t feel that you can do anything since you're so exhausted.
You have to be honest and realize that your season is not all fun right now. You’ll have obstacles and challenges.
I heard Brendon Burchard, who is one of my favorite speakers on productivity and author of High Performance Habits. He refers to “A caged life?” and he asks, ``Are you living a caged life?
OMG - yes - me what about you?
When you feel stuck, you feel like you're in a cage and can't get out. Those feelings of overwhelm set in.
Overwhelm may cloud your...
The Big Picture of Caregiver Overwhelm
My caregiving journey started in September 2017. Life went from normal to being tossed in the air falling apart. I know that’s pretty dramatic, but that was reality.
It meant immediate action mode to help my spouse fight cancer. I learned the many roles of Caregiver fast (scheduler, advocate, chauffeur, nurse) plus all the medical terminologies and procedures ( biopsies, hematology, chemotherapy, CT scans, PET scans).
In the midst of this, I felt like I was riding a roller coaster. My emotions went from shock to lack of focus to sadness to denial to worry to anger and more. Then when I felt like I could manage my emotions, overwhelm and exhaustion became my new visitor.
In today’s episode, I’m sharing the one thing that shifted me in the right direction. It took 15 minutes and sat down with a notebook and pen and reflected on the big picture.
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The struggle is real - why is it hard to put yourself first
How many articles have you read? How many times have people told you? "Make sure you take care of yourself." The struggle is real and it's easier said than done.
You know you need to be healthy and strong to be the best Caregiver, the best Wife, the best Boss, the best Co-worker and more. If you are like me, putting yourself first is a struggle with feelings of guilt and shame.
The flight attendant demonstrates the oxygen mask and says, in the event of an emergency you need to put yours on first before putting it on others. Others will say you can't pour from an empty cup.
So why do most women break this rule resulting in exhaustion, health issues, stress, and anxiety? I believe some of it is because of learned habits, experiences and stereotypes.
If you think about you as a young girl, you most likely developed nurturing and caregiving skills through watching your Mom,...
What's your Caregiver Style?
This quiz takes less than 3 minutes and gives you tons and tons of valuable insights into your caregiver style, your behaviors, your tendencies and how your style impacts your caregiving and most importantly you and your well-being.
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