E37: Releasing caregiver stress with your self-soothing techniques

 

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...

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E42: Reduce Caregiver Stress with a Morning Mindset

 

Stress and anxiety can feel like  carrying around a very heavy backpack.  It feels like you can’t turn off your mind whether it’s worry, anger, or the thoughts of everything that has to be done or all the demands on you.  Your chest gets tightens when you hear a text alert or a phone ring.  

As working women  caregiving you are stretched and stressed at the highest levels and your body and mind are going to show signs and symptoms of stress and anxiety.  If you stay at that higher level, something is going to break and affect your overall well-being.  

Find a morning routine and mindset can help reduce and release stress.

Start your day with intention and a fresh mindset.  Choose to fill your mind with happiness, gratitude and joy each morning.   

Each day is different.  If I know my spouse has an appointment, I might say,  Today, I’m going to be optimistic and grateful for his oncology...

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How to reduce your caregiver stress and anxiety

 

Just when you think you have it figured out, there is a challenging day, week or urgent situation that happens.  Reality is that there are tons and tons of variables which play into your stressors and anxiety:  atmosphere, people, your love one (illness, injury, mood), your mood, outside distractions, frustrations and more. 

Dr Roderick Logan from Arizona Trauma Institute shared a You Tube presentation where he uses a water bottle to demonstrate the need for resilience to overcome stress and compassion fatigue in the workplace and personal life.   

How to reduce or stop feeling anxious, referenced WebMD

  1. Stay in your time zone
  2. Relabel what's happening
  3. Fact-check your thoughts
  4. Breathe in and out
  5. Follow the 3-3-3 rule
  6. Just do something
  7. Stand up straight
  8. Stay away from sugar
  9. Ask for a second opinion
  10. Watch a funny video or music

Tips to manage stress, referenced WebMD

  1. Exercise
  2. Relax your muscles
  3. Deep breathing
  4. Eat well
  5. Slow down
  6. ...
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