Recently I bought some strawberries that didn't taste as good as they looked so I decided to turn them into sorbet. Making frozen desserts is one of my favorite summertime activities, so pivoting from fresh strawberries into into sorbet was an easy decision to make.
About a year ago I bought an ice cream maker that I really love. It's small so I can make just enough of a frozen dessert for mom and me. And it's fast so I don't have to wait very long to get my treat.
As family caregivers, our lives can become very routinized. We perform the same tasks every day in the same way at the same time. Living life that way can become very boring and when boredom sets in, we can become very tired of the life that we're living.
Being bored with your life can be an entry point for caregiver stress. Making the decision to pivot to making sorbet was a quick way to give me something else to think about. It gave me time to think about how I wanted to flavor the dessert I was making and that gave me a little reprieve while doing something that I have to do, which is meal preparation.
A couple of years ago I experimented with adding basil to strawberries and found that it's a flavor combination I really like. So when I had these disappointingly flavored strawberries, I realized that basil was the thing that would give them a little kick.
When my strawberry sorbet base was just right, I found myself looking forward to eating the finished product. Having something to look forward to, regardless of how small, can give you a little respite from the boredom and the tiredness that often comes with being a family caregiver.
My encouragement for you this week is to alter your routine in a way that gives you something to look forward to doing or to having.
Be well until next time.
Dr. Sheri
Dr. Sheri L. Yarbrough is an author, caregiver, and founder of Praxis Senior Care-Giving Solutions, a consulting business that provides care-givers with practical and easily implemented strategies that can be tailored to meet their individual care needs.
View Dr. Yarbrough's weekly blog on all things caregiving from a caregiver's perspective.
Listen to Dr. Yarbrough's Podcast: Straight Talk for Giving-Care.
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