What do you do when you are in a funk, super overstressed, and are stuck in this bad space? 

Affirmations are a self-help strategy used to prompt self-confidence and belief in your own abilities.  They're positive statements that can help you to challenge and overcome self-sabotaging  and negative thoughts. When you repeat them often, and believe in them, you can start to make positive changes.

Affirmation can help you shift your mindset.  Help you believe yourself even when you are fearful or have failed.   

Neuroplasticity, or your brain’s ability to change and adapt to different circumstances throughout your life, offers a clue to help understand not only what makes affirmations work, but how to make them more effective.

Your brain sometimes gets a little mixed up on the difference between reality and imagination, which can be surprisingly useful.

Creating a mental image of yourself doing something activates many of the same brain...

Navigating the intricacies of caregiving for individuals with Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD) is no small feat. It's a journey that requires an abundance of empathy, patience, and resilience. This delicate subject is at the forefront of our latest podcast episode, where I take you through the personal odyssey as a caregiver to family members grappling with NPD.

The complexities of NPD stretch far beyond the superficial traits of vanity and arrogance. The disorder is deeply rooted in genetics, early childhood experiences, and societal influences. My candid narration delves into the draining effects of friendships marked by narcissism and draws insightful parallels between understanding dementia and NPD. This highlights the importance of recognizing the multifaceted nature of the disorder.

My experiences emphasize the emotional toll caregiving can take, particularly when the person being cared for exhibits manipulative tendencies and a lack of...

When we are going through change / hard seasons,  you need that purpose to get you out of bed on those hard days.   Need a reason  You need a why.  

What’s going to motivate you more.  It most likely is not work, caregiving and netflix.   You need something that’s going to keep you alive 

There are three phases of our caregiver normal:    

• 1st phase of being a new caregiver - that honeymoon stage
  • Everything is new
  • You go all in and do whatever it takes
  • You are totally committed and feel you can do it all
  • You may be sad, worried and can’t focus
• 2nd phase:  reality sinks in
  • You ask yourself - Is this my life?
  • Can i really do this forever?
  • You feel personal loss, loneliness and miss your old life.
• 3rd phase:  you have choices to change yourself and the situation
  • "We can’t control the storms coming in our life, but we can control how we work through the storms."  Trent Shelton
  • You...

How are you sleeping? If you're like many of us, the answer might not be so great.

In today's fast-paced world, sleep often takes a backseat to our caregiving responsibilities, but the truth is, it shouldn't. In this episode of the Caregiver Cup Podcast, we're diving deep into the importance of sleep, why caregivers often struggle to get enough of it, and most importantly, how you can improve your sleep quality starting tonight.

Last Saturday, March 16, marked World Sleep Day, a perfect opportunity to shine a spotlight on the sleep issues facing caregivers. Shocking statistics reveal that a staggering 76% of caregivers report poor sleep quality, with dementia caregivers experiencing rates as high as 91.7%. These sleep disturbances aren't just inconvenient; they're linked to serious health issues like depression, anxiety, and fatigue.

So, what's causing all this sleep deprivation? For many caregivers, anxiety and depression play a significant role, leading to racing...

Gratitude is a gift — and gratitude changes everything. When we allow ourselves to look critically at our lives through the lens of gratitude, and to focus on the many reasons we have to be grateful, life gets better. ... A focus on gratitude reduces stress and increases levels of contentment. It truly is life-changing.

Resilient people proactively cultivate positive emotions like humor, gratitude and optimism. You don’t even have to find anything to be grateful for. The simple act of looking for the positive decreases the stress hormone cortisol by 23%. Just looking for something to appreciate increases serotonin and dopamine, the feel-good neurochemicals in most antidepressants.

Gratitude affects your brain at a neurological level. A gratitude practice has a positive impact on: sleep, mood, alertness, physical risk markers for future disease, happiness, better financial decision making, problem solving, optimism, productivity, and goal orientation. People...

Self-Soothing is your solution to reducing and releasing overwhelm.  That anxiety, stress and pressure you feel each day.

What is self-soothing?   We learn how to self-soothe from the moment we enter this world. Some of our first acknowledgments of our mental feelings and our physical bodies occur as young as a newborn. Infants learn how to self-soothe through means of thumb-sucking. It is from this early age, that we begin to learn and understand that we are capable of healing ourselves, something that we should acknowledge and remember as we move through life.

When we get hurt, physically or mentally, feel anxious, or depressed, we all hope to feel better. We seek feeling better by learning how to make ourselves heal and relieve anxieties, in both immediate and long term ways. In other words, we self soothe. Self soothing is a way in which we treat ourselves to feelings of betterment, so that we can move forward, past any negativity or pain. 

As...

Diana Winkler is a singer songwriter and I'm an abuse advocate.  She uses music as one of my healing tools and facilitates Meaning The Soul healing groups.  She is also a podcaster of the Wound of the Faithful Podcast.

She is married to her husband, Brain for 11 years who struggles with severe ulcerative colitis.  Diana is very transparent about her own health struggles with memory loss too.  

In my interview, I ask Diana to share her everyday schedule.  She is figuring it out by juggling her schedule, pursuing her passions and finding time for herself.  

I ask Diana to unpack her caregiving journey.  She shares her spouse’s 10 year journey with ulcerative colitis, from the initial diagnosis,  remission and through the pandemic.  She talks about the stressors of his disease and how it impacts her as a caregiver.  

She shares her gratitude of both being able to work from home but also the stress there too.  ...

Each morning about 6:30, I put on my walking shoes and grab my ear buds for my 2-3 miles walk.  One particular thing this week got me.    I kept nodding my head and walking faster and faster.  My head was spinning when listening to a new podcast.   I couldn’t wait to get home to grab a piece of paper and write down my thoughts.  

I love podcasts that feed my soul with inspiration, self-help and self-development and ones that are just plain fun too.   Podcast listening is my jam when I am walking or working in my garden or getting ready in the morning.    

Ok… what was I listening to? I am trying to level up and be a better speaker.  It was my newest podcast that I recently added to favs.  My new mentor and speaking coach - The Heather Saeger show.  It was one from way back on Jan 6 where she interviewed Anna Nelson about Unlock a new level in your business using your superpower. ...

Hello and welcome to another insightful episode of The Caregiver Cup Podcast. Today, we're delving into a crucial topic: How to Show Up Better When Faced with Hard Situations, Crises, or Feeling Stuck. This discussion stems from my recent personal experience with dental issues, and I believe it will shed light on transformative changes you can make in challenging circumstances.

In late February, I found myself in excruciating tooth pain. A visit to the dentist, an exam, and x-rays yielded no immediate solutions. Despite the pain being manageable at first, it intensified rapidly. This led to a frustrating series of events that mirrored the challenges many caregivers face.

This dental saga provided me with a fresh perspective on what we can control and influence in challenging situations, a lesson I believe is invaluable for caregivers. It's essential to consider what aspects we can change, influence, and control when faced with the overwhelming nature of caregiving.

So,...

You're a busy woman caregiver who feels pressured to be able to do it all,  juggling your career, family, caregiving, managing the household and more.

Superwoman Syndrome is exactly what it says it is - trying to be Superwoman. And more often than not, you're feeling overworked, overwhelmed and overly committed. You're also exhausted, anxious and stressed.  But don't worry - you are not alone.

According to Dr. Madeline Ann Lewis, co-author of Overcoming the Superwoman Syndrome, some of us wear this imaginary cape because we:

• Want to be the good, little girl
• Have a tendency towards people-pleasing
• Seek attention
• Want to feel like you can do it all
• You cannot say no to others
• To feel accomplished
• Have low self-esteem
• Strive for perfection

The Superwoman is also a good person, duty oriented, very responsible and truly desires to do what is right.

Symptoms of superwoman syndrome and caregiver burnout:  

• Bouts of irritability
• Inability to sleep or...