Time to Play

Caregivers carry a tremendous amount of stress on their daily life, all being magnified with the Coronavirus looming. We talked about the fears that are happening over the weekend at one of our Virtual Caregiver Retreats. There are times when you don’t know what to do next. Or perhaps, when to act, or when to let go of trying to ‘fix’ something.  


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Your life as a caregiver and your loved ones are under a microscope of caution and concern, with high emotions. So striking a balance, finding a way to some sense of calm is even more critical now than ever. No good decisions can be made from fear or anger,  so it is particularly important to find a mind-body-spirit balance to maintain a sense of calm and reduce anxiety. 

Meditation can certainly help calm and center you in a troubled life, but it’s not for everyone. There is also great healing power in creativity. It goes well beyond something amazing to look at on your wall; it is the inner child and human spirit of yourself that gets tapped in to when you allow playing and creativity into your daily living. 

So whether you take up gardening, woodworking, or pull out the knitting you tried to learn years ago, any of these will give you the ability to focus your mind. Through this practice of mindfulness, you allow a natural ‘feel-good’ to come over you and rescue the stress levels that may surround you. A natural antidepressant of sorts that can help boost happiness. 

A few simple things to try:

  • Start your day off with a walk (early when it’s quiet)

  • Plant a garden – even in small spaces containers are a great way to do this

  • Do a facial at home (yes, men can do this too). Pampering can go a long way

  • Take a break during the day to listen to music or have a cup of tea (tea is an excellent antioxidant and can lift your spirits too)

  • Pick up a book (a real one with paper pages) and read before you go to sleep at night

Note that I said ‘simple’ above. Simple pleasures can give the most back to your spirit. You are doing your best every day, please remind yourself of that before you go to sleep. And by all means, give yourself permission to play and watch the magic of mindfulness. 

B-R-E-A-T-H-E.

Cyndi

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