Taking Care of Yourself

Is it even possible to find time for yourself while you are a caregiver?

Okay – stop laughing. Or laugh-crying. I have to admit my first reaction was to snort “In what universe?”
Yes, it is. It is absolutely crucial to our well-being.

How do we do it?

By thinking things through ahead of time, using short chunks of time and being adaptable.

See that list in the top right hand corner? Let’s take that as a starting point.

The first thing is getting adequate sleep.

This is difficult. And a universal problem if you are living in the same house with your person. I went months where the longest sleep I had any given night was about an hour and a half. And that other item at the bottom of the list — Go to bed before 11 pm — that took some doing but we did find a workable solution for that as well! Sleep is so important that we will take a deeper dive separately with tips to improve your person’s sleep AND YOURS. We learned a few things — and hope to hear what your solutions are, as well.

Drink water.

This is hard for me — and I suspect for a lot of people. Not a coffee drinker, don’t like carbonation or anything remotely tart. But for health reasons – no sweet stuff either. I’m always on the go and doing things so having a hand free to carry a drink bottle is not happening. When I make sure to have a bottle of water in the car — I find I only drink from it when I pull back in the garage. But I’m working on it . . and if you have tips, please share!

Three healthy meals.

There are secrets to making this less time consuming and possible alternatives to help as well and we will share those. In the meantime, you can check out my food blog, A Pinch of Joy ,for quick family recipes. And we’ll be adding recipes for specific medical problems, like dysphagia.

The others on the list are a little more personal. We are wired to be social beings, but that can vary. I can spend two hours on the phone with any one of my three sisters. We both do chores at the same time and talk and laugh and feel so much better. You may be wired to speak to the mailman and call it a good day. The point is — think about what you need and want the most. Then think about a way to make it happen in the life you are living now. You’ve got this!

Here is a link to a blank Self Care Checklist.

And, if you need inspiration, the one shown above. Print it out and think about how you can fit the things you want to do in your typical day. If it is only five things – okay. But write it down, because seeing it on paper will help you in achieving that goal.