Caregiver Tips February 2005

Heartfelt

*Self Care Focus: Heartfelt
**Words of Encouragement
***Book Award
****Reminders
*****Messages for Caregivers
******So Good I Want To Share It
*******Internet Sites 2Good2Miss
********Thank You
********* Self Care Tip
********** Share A Tip

It's February and I think back on all of the celebrations of Valentines Day in my past.

There were the store purchased boxes of valentines for school. The beautiful handmade valentines with hearts and lots of lace.

Dating brought a whole new set of rules and restrictions with regard to valentines. I remember many and to this day am touched at the thought and care my "beaus" had when selecting their card. I even have a treasure box of cards and valentines. It includes one from my Grandmother Mary and my sweet husband Robert.

During this commercial time of expression, how are you showing your heartfelt feelings? It doesn't take a purchased card, or a homemade one to express your sincere and earnest feelings. The express is as easy as a gentle hug, a smile, or a pat on the back.

Let February be the start of expressing heartfelt feelings. Use Valentine's Day as a way to begin a wonderful ritual of expression and love. Make everyday a celebration of your heartfelt feelings.

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Words of Encouragement

It's been almost two years since my last vacation. It seems like a lifetime ago when I remember how much fun Robert and I had.

I will be on vacation the first week of February and part of me is sad that my sweet husband will not be with me. Another part of me longs to break free and see what new adventures that I can discover.

The best way that I know to honor my husband and his strength and determination is to live my life to its fullest. I have become a great caregiver because of the care that I give myself.

Practice makes perfect. Practice your caregiving on yourself. Everyone will benefit!

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Book Award

Catherine, a caregiver from ,New Milford, CT , will be sent Ask and You Will Succeed, 1001 Ordinary Questions to Create Extraordinary Results, by Ken D. Foster.

Enjoy the read.

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Reminders

Heart Health Month
American Heart Association
7272 Greenville Avenue
Dallas, TX 75231
(800) 242-8721
inquire@americanheart.org
www.americanheart.org

AMD/Low Vision Awareness Month
Prevent Blindness America
500 East Remington Road>br> Schaumburg, IL 60173-5611
(800) 331-2020
info@preventblindness.org
www.preventblindness.org

National Children's Dental Health Month
American Dental Association
211 East Chicago Avenue
Chicago, IL 60611
(312) 440-2500
publicinfo@ada.org
www.ada.org

Wise Health Consumer Month
American Institute for Preventive Medicine
30445 Northwestern Highway, Suite 350
Farmington Hills, MI 48334
(800) 345-2476
(248) 539-1800 x247
aipm@healthylife.com
www.healthylife.com

Kids E.N.T. (Ears, Nose, Throat) Health Month
American Academy of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Inc.
One Prince Street
Alexandria, VA 22314-3357
(703) 836-4444
Kids@entnet.org
www.entnet.org/Kidsent/

Don't miss the March 2005 issue of "Caregiver Tips" with tips and information
on "It Just Grows on You"

iBALANCE? Teleclasses

Are you longing for the time before caregiving? What to find a way to get
back to your dreams and goals? Enroll in iBALANCE? a four-part teleclass
designed to help you take control of your life.

Meet once a week on the telephone and give yourself an hour to clear away the
guilt and stress of caregiving. Develop tools and tricks to become more
comfortable with caregiving. Learn life skills that will change your life for
the better.

Click this link to get more information about teleclasses:

Get More Teleclass Information Here

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Messages for Caregivers

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So Good I Want To Share It

Sometimes we wonder, "What did I do to deserve this?" or "Why did God have to do this to me?" Here is a wonderful explanation! A daughter is telling her Mother how everything is going wrong, she's failing algebra, her boyfriend broke up with her and her best friend is moving away.

Meanwhile, her Mother is baking a cake and asks her daughter if she would like a snack, and the daughter says, "Absolutely Mom, I love your cake."

"Here, have some cooking oil," her Mother offers. "Yuck" says her daughter.

"How about a couple raw eggs?" "Gross, Mom!"

"Would you like some flour then? Or maybe baking soda?" "Mom, those are all yucky!"

To which the mother replies: "Yes, all those things seem bad all by themselves. But when they are put together in the right way, they make a wonderfully delicious cake!

God works the same way. Many times we wonder why He would let us go through such bad and difficult times. But God knows that when He puts these things all in His order, they always work for good! We just have to trust Him and, eventually, they will all make something wonderful!

God is crazy about you. He sends you flowers every spring and a sunrise every morning.

Whenever you want to talk, He'll listen. He can live anywhere in the universe, and He chose your heart.

Author Unknown

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Internet Sites 2Good2Miss

I have become more aware of services for loss and grief. It isn't just the end of life that creates a need for support and compassion. Dealing with a spouse or parent that has had a stroke, has Alzheimer's or another debilitating disease can create grief. We miss the way our lives were before we were caregivers. We miss our spouse or parent when they were strong and active.

Here is a site that offers support and compassion for those that have a loss. Center For Loss

I can also recommend the following book. It has provided me with many ways to express and release my grief.

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Thank You

I also want to thank those that have sent an email with a
request for information. I enjoy hearing from you and hope
that I can provide some support or help when you need it. Please
continue to send me your comments and requests.

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Self Care Tip

Top 5 Sources of Energy Drain

By Helaine Iris

Along with time and money, energy is one of your most valuable resources. And if you're a professional woman, it's a resource that's most likely in short supply. With the myriad number of professional and personal tasks you need to accomplish, while taking care of your family, you have very little - if any - energy left over for you. It's easy to understand your dilemma.

Energy is defined as "having the internal or inherent power or capacity to act, operate or produce an effect." Mental, physical and emotional energy is the fuel that drives your creativity, your thinking and your ability to take action. Energy drains limit your capacity to act and create. They also deplete the inspiration and motivation that is such a crucial part of a complete and balanced life.

Here are the top 5 sources of energy drain I see most often in my clients' lives, as well as some suggestions for how to eliminate them.

Energy Drain #1: Keeping Details In Your Head, Instead Of In A System

Your brain, like a computer, only has so much RAM (random access memory). And RAM is mental energy. When you rely on yourself to remember your shopping list, your to-do list and your dentist appointment, it eats away at mental energy you could be using elsewhere to create a greater impact in your life.

It's not that all those tasks aren't important, but what if you had the mental energy to complete that major report, write your book or create a more powerful business strategy?

Think of each item you need to remember as an energy unit. How many energy units do you spend keeping details in your head? Find (or create) and begin using a system to track and remember things for you. Use it daily, and you'll free up more mental energy to accomplish higher leverage projects and tasks.

Energy Drain #2: Making Assumptions and Taking Things Personally

Humans are exceptionally good at creating meaning. With every occurrence in our lives or every statement someone makes, we're constantly asking: "what does that mean?" Sometimes meaning helps us to know where we stand, but much of the time the meaning we create is, frankly, an incorrect assumption. How many energy units go down the drain each time you second-guess the meaning of someone's words, actions or inactions?

Think of the last time you spent an hour, a month, a year (or longer) having made the wrong assumption about an interaction with someone. How much energy did it cost you? The next time you find yourself making things up about someone's words or actions, ask them for clarity so you can deal with the truth, and move on.

Energy Drain #3: Tolerating Friction In Your Environment and Relationships

The squeaky door. The leaky faucet. The tired paint color on your bedroom walls. By themselves, the energy drain is minor. Add them all up, however, and you have a gaping hole in your energy system. It's time to clean it all up. Make a list of all the things in your home, office or car that you continually notice needing attention. Set aside some time and tick them off your list once and for all.

Likewise, when you tolerate a dysfunctional relationship or have unfinished business with anyone, you're losing energy. Confront the relationship issues you have. Clean up unfinished business. If necessary, get support from someone who can help you negotiate such confrontations skillfully and responsibly. Think of the energy it takes to avoid someone versus the energy you'd gain in the long run having the issue cleared up.

Energy Drain #4: Disorganization

According to a USA Today report, Americans waste 9 million hours every day looking for misplaced items. Every time you can't find your keys, you waste energy. Each time you have to shuffle through a stack of papers to find an important document you waste energy. Each time you feel like you'd be embarrassed to have a friend drop by, you are depleting your energy account.

The solution is simple. Get organized. Although it may seem a daunting task, what you'll gain in energy and satisfaction is well worth the initial investment. Julie Morgenstern, the organizational goddess, recommends handling it in small chunks. Start with one room at a time. You've got to start somewhere. It's well worth the effort for the feeling of peace and tranquility that an organized space offers.

Energy Drain #5: Taking Care Of Yourself Last

It's been drilled into us. Meet everyone's needs before your own. While taking care of our loved ones provides a sense of satisfaction and fulfillment, it also requires precious energy. In worse cases, it can even breed resentment - another huge source of energy drain.

A famous person once said, "Only give from an overflowing cup." Try this on. What if your criteria for giving were based on how full your own cup was? In other words, you can only afford to give when you have an ample supply yourself.

What does it take to ensure a full cup? A good place to start is to follow the suggestions from the above four examples. You'll begin accumulating a reserve of energy until you have plenty for yourself, as well as enough to give to others.

It's YOUR life . . . live it completely!

Helaine is a professional coach and writer, who has been featured in numerous publications, including "O? The Oprah Magazine. She helps entrepreneurs and professional women accelerate their professional success, while achieving a more complete and fulfilling personal life. She combines a broad range of professional experience in her work, including management positions in the education, training, retail and international non-profit sectors. For a free consultation, contact her at 603-357-8546 to discuss how she can help you accelerate your own success. You may also visit her website, http://www.pathofpurpose.com, for additional information, or email your questions to helaine@pathofpurpose.com.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/

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Take care and don't forget to give yourself a gift this month,

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