We Have a Choice—Feel Helpless or Act
We can come up with some pretty convincing reasons to put off taking care of ourselves. The fact that we try to fool others with our explanations is testimony to our skillful justifications for INaction. When we fool ourselves, we compromise our health.
How long do you think you can drive your car when the gauge reads below empty?
Likewise, we keep going for days, weeks, and months while our gauge reads empty.
When illness strikes, we lament that the world keeps moving… without us. If we want to continue being in the game of life, we must act. Now.
Take Time for YOU
Yes, I know. I hate it too when people tell me to slow down as I’m running in every direction with diverse demands on my schedule. If you find yourself getting stressed and even irritated, YOU need to keep reading.
Every year, I try to do a day-long hike the Sierras. This year, due to poor air quality caused by record-breaking fires California and forest closures, I chose not to. I could have flown somewhere. Yet, the ever-changing travel guidelines due to COVID leave me stuck on a fence.
I have to do something. I want to do something. I choose to explore where I live. Los Angeles County has a lot to offer—beaches, mountains, and entertainment. I’ve lived here for over 30 years and there is so much to do and see. I’ve likely only experienced one finger of a whole body’s worth of places. So, I am enjoying staycations, instead.
Caregiving is challenging enough, let alone the anxiety of COVID-related uncertainty. Slow down and focus on what you need, right now.
Take a Caregiver Respite
Friends and I visited the Korean Friendship Bell in San Pedro. We walked on the pier and climbed rocks along Cabrillo Beach, close by. Then we took a scenic drive up to Beverly Hills where we enjoyed an exquisitely prepared seafood dinner at Il Fornaio. This past weekend, we visited the Hollywood sign. One-day outings are sometimes all that’s needed to refuel ourselves for a little change of pace.
If you put off taking care of you, there will be little left of you to share. How long can you drive your car on empty? Take time to do something to refuel yourself. It doesn’t have to be a big deal. Even a small diversion can make a big difference. If you don’t, you could be “eligible” for a “State Mandated Vacation.” How? In three minutes, you may smile as you discover the answer in The Five-Minute Respite for Caregivers on You Tube.
Inspired adaptation of the opening letter from The Caregiver’s Voice Newsletter September 2021—What’s New?
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