It rained earlier this week, and I got an opportunity to do one of my favorite things, which is to lay in bed quietly and listen to the rain. I've always loved the sound of rain. It's so peaceful.
Even as a little girl, I liked walking to school in the rain. I loved the way the raindrops would rhythmically hit my umbrella and give me a little pace at which to walk. I also loved splashing mud puddles. So even though my mom had me nice and clean when I left the house, by the time I got to school in the rain I was always a little bit dirty around the feet.
Being still and giving myself a quiet moment was really important. As a family caregiver, our lives are so filled with everything that we have to do that we overlook those small, quiet things that we experience in the course of our lives.
While I was laying still listening to the rain, I thought about a quote from Albert Einstein that I read in a magazine recently. He wrote this to a friend in 1942.
People like you and I, though mortal like everyone else, do not grow old, no matter how long we live. What I mean is that we never cease to stand like curious children before the great mystery into which we were born.
I liked that statement because it reminded me about how in my life before becoming a family caregiver, I'd take the time to sit quietly and think about something I'd read or my favorite smells, or just whatever I was experiencing in the moment.
As family caregivers, we often get so focused performing all of the tasks that we have to do that we overlook our need for quiet moments.
Finding those quiet moments is really important to help us settle our brains and to embrace the mindset of self-care. As family caregivers, we often don't have 30 or 40 minutes to sit quietly and think about what we want to think about. So it's important for us to carve those 30 or 40 minutes out during the day. Ten minutes here, 15 minutes there. Just take time to be mindful and conscious of how much we need our quiet moments.
My encouragement to you this week is to carve out some time to have quiet moments for yourself. Remember that care-giving is what you do for your loved one. Giving-care is what you do for both of you. And giving-care is the foundation for self-care as a mindset.
Be well until next time.
-Dr. Sheri
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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.
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