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The Ultimate Guide to Caregiver Well-Being

If you’re a caregiver, you often think about the health of your loved ones. But what about your own? It’s important for a caregiver to consider their well-being, as well as understand their own limits and strengths so they don’t run the risk of getting burned out.

However, if you do face caregiver burnout, there’s hope you can regain joy and fulfillment in your life by taking important steps for self-care. That’s the message Dr. James Rouse shared with our community during a six-part series hosted by The Kensington.

Learn more about Dr. James and the series below, plus the effects of caregiver burnout on both the caregiver and the seniors receiving their care.

You can also watch the event recordings on Kensington Konnect, under Wellness.

A Revitalizing Six-Part Series to Cultivating Soulfulness

Dr. James is an international, inspirational speaker who uses his own challenging past and success story to inspire others. He has written 11 books and built a handful of companies. With his story as proof, he seeks to share the steps needed to forge a new path in life, no matter where you started from.

In the six-part soulFULLness series, Dr. James is reaching out to caregivers to show them that no matter how burned out and exhausted they feel, there’s always a chance to start taking the necessary steps to redirect your life and become who you really are.

Self Care is Necessary, Not Self-Indulgent 

Have you ever been told that self-care practices are selfish? This simply isn’t true. Self-care isn’t a self-indulgent act where you spoil yourself with lavish gifts or self-serving actions. 

Instead, it means you choose to make yourself a loving priority on your to-do list. Be intentional about starting each day with an act of self-love and self-care, and you’ll begin to feel the difference over time. Introduce simple self-care steps into your daily routine, in whatever way that means to you. 

The process to self-improvement is continuous, and takes practice.

Watch the recording: A Caregiver Guide to Cultivating SoulFULLness with Dr. James Rouse

Five Practices to Empower Your Mind/Brain  

Incorporating simple daily rituals into your life will create powerful change, and support a healthy brain and mind. Diet, movement, meditation, and spirituality are some of the tools to use in creating a life you will love and enjoy.

Eat nourishing foods whenever possible, and grab moments during the day to move your body, meditate, or pray — whatever practice is soothing and helpful to you. 

If you feel like there’s no time in the day, just start small. If the person you are caring for is taking a nap, for example, grab a couple minutes to eat a healthy snack, take a walk down the street, or sit in a quiet room.

Watch the recording: Cultivating SoulFULLness with Dr. James Rouse – Week 2

Find and Maintain Good Energy When You’re Exhausted

When you reach the point of exhaustion as a caregiver but have to keep going, things can feel difficult and hopeless. Where are you supposed to pull energy from when your resources are depleted?

It is possible to create and sustain positive and inspiring energy from within, so you will never again lose your source.

Watch the recording: Cultivating SoulFULLness with Dr. James Rouse – Week 3

Decrease Stress and Increase Longevity Through Any Amount of Chaos

The key to maintaining peace and grace in the middle of chaos is to discover what methods work for you. The speed of each of our lives is unique to us — as well as the amount of chaos we can manage while remaining at peace.

In discovering what brings us back to peace, no matter what we are going through, we will never lose our way on our path to greater purpose. We can always rely on our personal methods to bring us back to a level space.

Watch the recording: Cultivating SoulFULLness with Dr. James Rouse – Week 4

Change the Trajectory of Your Life With Actions and Words

No matter our past, we have the power to change our future. It’s possible to build a new biology of belief that will transform our mind, emotions, and body. 

Dr. James uses the term “dirty genes” to express how we can clean up the ways we are programmed in our minds, and create a new future where we are peaceful, joyful, and living our lives to the fullest — no matter what’s going on around us.

Living as the Best Version of You — Every Day

Discovering the best version of yourself, and living as that person every day, means you focus on who that person is and how you can become them. 

Using self care, empowering tools, positive thoughts, and stress management techniques that work for you, it’s possible to never again lose your faith or willingness to continue on the path to becoming who you truly are.

Caregiver Well-Being Equates to a Loved One’s Well-Being

As a caregiver you might feel tired, but when does burnout become a larger issue? Watch for these warning signs that indicate a caregiver is facing a high-stress level:

  • Anger or frustration toward your loved one
  • Depression or anxiety
  • Exhaustion or sleeplessness
  • Inability to concentrate
  • Health problems
  • Social withdrawal from friends or hobbies
  • Irritability and moodiness
  • Inability to concentrate or forgetfulness

If you’re facing this level of stress from caregiver burnout, you need to reach out for help and begin incorporating positive, manageable self-care habits. Caregiver burnout doesn’t only affect you, but it will start to affect the loved ones under your care. 

It’s difficult to care for someone else effectively if you’re unable to care for yourself.

The Kensington and You – Supporting Caregivers and Families

The Kensington White Plains hosts ongoing events with inspirational speakers such as Dr. James, as well as experts in the field of Alzheimer’s and dementia research. We also host a continuous virtual support group for caregivers.

White Plains provides these types of events to create a community of support and information. We are dedicated to the highest levels of care in our assisted living and memory care communities, which includes staying up to date on the latest research and presenting to the community how we are equipped to handle an exceptional level of care.

Our Promise is to love and care for your family as we do our own, and this extends to supporting the caregivers and families in our community. Contact us today to learn more about our community, our team, and how we work to keep your loved ones healthy, safe, happy, and fulfilled.

 

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