Most of us are caregivers, but often we don’t think of ourselves that way.  If you are a parent, spouse, older sibling, good friend, mentor, boss, or have someone in your life that leans on you for support, you are a caregiver.  Maybe it is a job you love, maybe something you are doing out of the goodness of your heart. Or maybe it’s not a choice.

Care giving can be a rewarding experience, but often it is at a caregiver’s own expense.  Caregivers don’t tend to take as good care of themselves as they do of others.  The results can be:

• Feeling exhausted, burned out or depleted
• A sense of sleep-walking through the day
• Skipping meals because of lack of time
• Not exercising in who-knows-how-long
• Sleep difficulties
• Inability to sit still or stay focused
• Feeling grumpy and irritable
• Wishing your situation would just come to an end or you could escape (and feeling guilty for thinking that way)

In order for caregivers to continue doing what they do, it is truly imperative to tend to self-care.  Self-care is not just a nice term for selfishness or self-indulgence.  Tons of research proves the benefit of self-care, from reduction of stress and anxiety to improvements in overall cognitive and physical wellbeing.  As the saying goes…

You have to put on your own oxygen mask before you can help with someone else’s.

Self-care doesn’t need to warrant a big overhaul in your already busy routine.  Together we will identify and prioritize some simple yet effective adjustment (ie. time management, caregiver relief, strategies for sleeping with “one ear open”), right down to even just improving your mindset as you go about your day.

How We Will Work Through It:

I offer consultation and ongoing coaching depending on your needs.  My services are available in person and also via Skype or telephone, if it’s too hard to break away from your care giving responsibilities.  Together we will come up with a tailor-made plan for improved self-care that suits your individual circumstances.  I also offer Accountability Sessions to hold you to task if desired and to help update your plan as needed.

Your joy awaits you and is within easy reach.  It doesn’t have to be put on hold until your care giving responsibilities are over.