6 Ways To Deal With Stress As A Caregiver During The Holidays

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6 Ways To Deal With Stress As A Caregiver During The Holidays

At any point in the year, when there are expectations for caregivers that go above and beyond their everyday obligations, especially during holidays, caregivers need extra support! On top of getting your care receiver to their appointments, doing your laundry, managing outside work (if you have a full- or part-time paid job), and making sure the driveway is shoveled, you feel the pressure of getting holiday meals ready, and preparing the house for guests (in my house, this is a week-long event). Do you feel like you have to be a Super Human to get it all done? It is normal to feel overwhelmed, completely exhausted, and like it’s hard to actually feel joy. Luckily, I am here today to give you some support and guidance. 

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Why It's STILL Ok To Not Be Ok

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Why It's STILL Ok To Not Be Ok

Earlier this year, I wrote the below blog “Why It’s Ok To Not Be Ok”. Many states were shut down due to COVID, restaurants weren’t open, and everything was being cancelled. Life was hard back then, but it’s still hard now. I am sure many of you (me included!) were hoping we’d be “back to normal” by now, were hoping for a “normal” Thanksgiving, and are disappointed that we are not. We are in the holiday season, and many are unsure how to navigate keeping social distancing and mask wearing in mind. Infection rates are rising, and many fear another shut down.

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6 Ways to Cope When You Are Feeling Overwhelmed

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6 Ways to Cope When You Are Feeling Overwhelmed

2020 has been a roller coast of a year for many, including myself!  It was the year of big plans, changes, and aspirations all squashed due to the pandemic, and the many challenges and alterations it brought to life.  The minute we seem to get answers or figure out a routine in this new normal, something changes, and we must pivot and draft a new plan of how to function in a new way of life.  Trying to manage within a pandemic can be very overwhelming.  On top of worrying about normal problems and life issues, there are now bigger matters at hand, most of which we do not have concrete answers to.  Not knowing or having a plan of action can cause us to feel emotionally overwhelmed and fear the worst.  These feelings are normal and can be addressed and worked on.  However sometimes they become overbearing, feeling like the weight of the world is on your shoulders.  Let’s discuss 6 ways to best move forward when those feelings begin to take over and it feels like you against the world with no end in sight. 

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How To Apply Mindfulness Meditation To Your Everyday Life

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How To Apply Mindfulness Meditation To Your Everyday Life

This practice involves retraining the mind to remain in the present rather than living in the past and the future—particularly and especially when thoughts about the past and the future promote personal distress. There is a distinction between “living” in the past and the future and “thinking” about them. Living in those two domains involves emotion; thinking about them is non-emotion. If we remember good times from the past and anticipate good times in the future, that is one thing. It is healthy because it does not promote distress. When distress occurs, it becomes unhealthy. So, ground yourself in the present. 

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The Art of Being Alone

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The Art of Being Alone

Do you find that you surround yourself with others simply to pass the time, or doing things you don’t enjoy just to have something to do?  In today’s hyperconnected world, people are often never alone so that when it does happen, they have no idea how to cope with that fact and are quite unhappy in their own company.  And now, dealing with COVID and the a stay at home order, many of us find ourselves alone since we can’t leave our houses much anymore.

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