You Don’t Have To Spend A Day At The Spa
Frequently when I tell family caregivers that they need to engage in better self-care they roll their eyes. “Yeah, right. Who has time for that?” they often say.
But self-care does not need to be a day at the spa or a full-blown vacation. It does not necessarily require extensive planning or lots of money either.
Self-care encompasses any healthy behavior or habit you engage in that improves your mood, physical or mental health or ability to face challenges in your life. Here are a few simple ways to engage in better self care.
- Commit to setting firm boundaries with everyone in your life. Consider where you should be saying no in order to reduce your stress. This applies to your relationship, work, older family members and kids. When we don’t set boundaries our schedules become unmanageable and we deplete ourselves.
- Dedicate ten minutes each day just to yourself. This can be for meditation, prayer, a walk or reading a book.
- Attend one educational event each month that will teach you better self-care strategies. In fact, there are two virtual ones coming up that are totally FREE. Registration for each of these events includes a FREE copy of Cruising Through Caregiving: Reducing The Stress of Caring For Your Loved One. To register for one or both see below:
Tuesday May 11, 12-1:30PM ET, Virtual/online Free Virtual Caregiver Program sponsored by Alzheimer’s Association https://action.alz.org/PersonifyEbusiness/Default.aspx?TabID=1356&productId=74207179 or call 800.272.3900 to receive online instructions and event login information.
Wednesday May 12, 2:30-3:30 PM PT, Virtual/online Free Virtual Caregiver Program sponsored by Passages https://csuchico.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZMscOmrqTojEtZG7RZ2B6bJHpD5KJHaPqT_
Don’t overthink self-care. Your loved one gets a better family caregiver when you take care of yourself.