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Being a Caregiver...To Yourself
I recently had the pleasure of presenting the opening keynote for the annual conference of the Iowa Caregivers Association. It was a delightful group of 400 angels who spend their lives dedicated to making others feel better. A single day in the life of a caregiver can include challenges that the rest of us couldn't even dream of doing in our lifetime. Yet, they have that something special that propels them through sadness, discomfort and difficulty in order to make another human being's experience on this earth a little brighter. I honor them and all that they do!
My time with them reminded me of the importance of another kind of care: SELF-care. It is so darned easy for us -- especially us women -- to give give give give give until we can't give any more, and then we give some more. Unfortunately, it seems that our level of contribution to others is inversely proportional to the amount of attention we give to ourselves. We are generous with others and stingy with ourselves. Sound familiar?
This needs to change.
With all of our increasingly-needful competing priorities of family, job, and community, we can no longer afford to forget to care for ourselves. We simply won't have enough fuel in our organic engines to get to all of the destinations we need to get to. It's time for us to delete the martyrdom program that was so firmly installed in our grey matter computers and realize the most selfless thing we can do is to prioritize our own well-being. When our tanks are full of juju, we can accomplish much more than when we are operating on fumes.
I have taken my own advice to heart this month. With more and more personal and professional activities on my plate, the month of August found me working more hours than I have in over a decade. When I work too many hours and don't care for myself, I WILL get sick, every time. And sure enough, my body gave me the undeniable message of "SLOW DOWN!" and I didn't pay attention to it. So, she turned up the volume. Luckily, I paid attention before the illness knocked me completely out and gave in to what my body required -- extra rest, lots of water, vitamin C, some sunshine, and movement. No matter how busy I was, I never let go of the hoop. I may have eaten a few too many Hershey's Kisses, but I did not let my hoop gather dust. Hooping is a powerful form of self-care for me, and I have made it a priority to keep it at the forefront. As a result, I was able to accomplish more than I thought I had the energy to do.
This month's Rose Report is being written on an airplane, and I just finished listening to the flight attendant say, "In the unlikely event of a change in cabin pressure, make sure to secure your own mask before you assist others." Let's live by this sound advice on the ground as well as at 30,000 feet. Whether it's a massage, a walk in the park, an extra nap, or the tried-and-true bubble bath, please carve out the time in your busy schedule to care for yourself. You will be happier, and you will be able to give more to those who need you. There's no glory in being a martyr; there's ultimately only unhappiness for you and your loved ones.
Take care and thank you so much for your support of my work. I wish you a joyful, beautiful and magical September, and make it a wonderful day!
Blessings and love,
Theresa
LIVE JUICY * LET GO * RECEIVE * BE BIG
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