Do you experience these things? If so, I can help.
• Loss of leisure activities • Changing roles and responsibilities • Changes in family dynamics
• Arguments with family members regarding plan of care for the patient, etc. • Responsibility for major life decisions
• Balance of day-to-day responsibilities, decisions, and caregiving • Sense of isolation • General loneliness
• Loss of outside relationships • Lack of understanding (of medical or emotional issues) • No control over illness
• Lack of appreciation from patient and/ or family members • Financial demands • Physical work (lifting, carrying, etc.)
• Providing personal care (bathing, dressing, etc.) • Communication changes
• Change in work hours or conditions to care for family member • Changes in living conditions to accommodate family member
• Lack of time, affecting personal sleeping, eating, and/or exercise habits
• Embarrassment from either patient behavior or his/her medical condition
Stress Busting
Intro
Stress and Relaxation Pt. 1
Sress and Relaxation Pt. 2
Reactions to Grief and Loss
Coping Skills
Challenging Behaviors
Positive Thinking
Lesson in Garbage Truck Thinking
Taking Care of Yourself; Healthy Living
Choosing A Path to Wellness
Resources
I have a special place in my heart for caregivers. You give so much of yourself to your family, showing your love for them in an amazing way. However, you often forget to take care of yourself in the constant demands of your role as a caregiver. This is a real problem, and it leads to some very worrying odds. If you try to do the job of caregiver alone, without the support of family, friends, and, yes, counselors or other professionals, then you might become part of the 60% of caregivers who die before their loved one who is diagnosed with dementia. By learning to manage your stress, you lessen your risk of this.
Click on any of the topics to the left
Lesson in Garbage Truck Thinking
How often do you let other people's nonsense change your mood? Do you let a bad driver, rude waiter, curt boss, or an insensitive employee ruin your day? Unless you're the Terminator, for an instant you're probably set back on your heels. However, the mark of a successful person is how quickly she/he can get back her/his focus on what's important.
Five years ago I learned this lesson. I learned it in the back of a taxi cab in LOS ANGELES . Here's what happened: I hopped in a taxi, and we took off for LAX Airport . We were driving in the right lane when, all of a sudden, a black car jumped out of a parking space right in front of us. My taxi driver slammed on his breaks, skidded, and missed the other car's back end by just inches! The driver of the other car, the guy who almost caused a big accident, whipped his head around and he started yelling bad words at us. My taxi driver just smiled and waved at the guy. And I mean, he was friendly.
So, I said, "Why did you just do that? This guy almost ruined your car and sent us to the hospital!" And this is when my taxi driver told me; what I now call, "The Law of the Garbage Truck." Many people are like garbage trucks. They run around full of garbage, full of frustration, full of anger, and full of disappointment. As their garbage piles up, they need a place to dump it. And if you let them, they'll dump it on you. When someone wants to dump on you, don't take it personally. You just smile, wave, wish them well, and move on.You'll be happy you did. So this was it: The "Law of the Garbage Truck."
I started thinking, how often do I let Garbage Trucks run right over me? And how often do I take their garbage and spread it to other people: at work, at home, on the streets? It was that day I said, "I'm not going to do it anymore." I began to see garbage trucks. Like in the movie "The Sixth Sense," the little boy said, "I see Dead People." Well, now "I see Garbage Trucks." I see the load they're carrying. I see them coming to drop it off. And like my Taxi Driver, I don't make it a personal thing; I just smile, wave, wish them well, and I move on.
Good leaders know they have to be ready for their next meeting. Good parents know that they have to welcome their children home from school with hugs and kisses. Leaders and parents know that they have to be fully present, and at their best for the people they care about. The bottom line is that successful people do not let Garbage Trucks take over their day. What about you? What would happen in your life, starting today, if you let more garbage trucks pass you by?
You'll be happier. Life's too short to wake up in the morning with regrets, so.. Love the people who treat you right. Pray for the ones who don't. Believe that everything happens for a reason. If you get a chance, TAKE IT! If it changes your life, LET IT! Nobody said it would be easy...They just promised it would be worth it!
Find happiness - Find contentment - Find peace - Find God - Find a
Friend and enjoy Your Gift.
