Pudding. Dora the Explorer. Juice. Bambi. Burritos. Blankets. Chemo backpacks. The Lion King. Ice Cream. Crutches for a caregiver. Crutches I thought I would never use! But I used them for sure. I used them often. Did that make me a bad mother? I had always been a careful mother. … Read more“Crutches for a Caregiver”
Category: Cancer Caregiving 101
Caregiver Loneliness Can Delay YOUR Recovery
Take a Peek at Caregiver Loneliness ICU minutes stretch like bubblegum—at some point, I know they’ll burst and slap more messiness into my life. I wait, lonely in the busiest place on the planet, for the nurses to allow me back into Pedro’s room. The tubes cascade out of his… Read more“Caregiver Loneliness Can Delay YOUR Recovery”
Join the Club – Three Easy Tips for Caregivers
It’s not an elite club. It’s not a desirable club. It comes with a very high membership fee. No one ever requests to join. But once you’ve been inducted into the club of Cancer Caregivers, you might as well participate fully. Even though it takes awhile for your head to… Read more“Join the Club – Three Easy Tips for Caregivers”
We All Learn in Different Ways
Different Ways to Learn The professor of educational psychology class at a university intoned, “We only learn by practicing—by actually doing something.” I shook my head in disbelief. I raised my hand (I can’t keep my opinions to myself, sometimes). “So, you’re telling me that if I drove down the… Read more“We All Learn in Different Ways”
A Caregiver You Know Might Need This Book
Not Knowing That I Stood in Need When my husband miraculously recovered from non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma with Central Nervous System involvement I knew I should feel grateful and blessed. I did, mostly. But a heavy blanket of depression crept over me and sucked the color out of my days. I felt… Read more“A Caregiver You Know Might Need This Book”
Submersion or Submission: Which would you choose?
In the fifth part of our series on how caregivers seem to experience the same reactions to circumstances that a drowning person experiences, we explore the options a drowning person has–submersion or submission. “From beginning to end of the Instinctive Drowning Response people’s bodies remain upright in the water, with… Read more“Submersion or Submission: Which would you choose?”
31 Ways to Nurture Yourself for Caregivers
The Importance of Self-Care Increases with Caregiving If you spend time caring for someone else, you need to make sure that you spend thoughtful time caring for yourself. This month on my other blog, I’m writing a series on 31 Ways to Nurture Yourself. So often people tell caregivers, “Take… Read more“31 Ways to Nurture Yourself for Caregivers”
You Might be Drowning in Plain Sight
Drowning victims and caregivers share more than one might think. In this five-part series we explore the phenomena of “Drowning in Plain Sight.” As you read, whether you’re a caregiver or someone who loves a caregiver, think about the people in your ‘pool’–is anyone drowning? “Except in rare circumstances, drowning… Read more“You Might be Drowning in Plain Sight”
Take Care of Yourself: Six Ways to Avoid Caregiver Burnout
Cancer Caregiving 101: Take Care of Yourself and Prevent Caregiver Burnout “Now you must realize,” the doctor straightened the papers into the already thick folder as he finished summarizing the diagnosis, treatment protocol and prognosis, “with a best-case scenario, we’re in for a long haul. You two must take care… Read more“Take Care of Yourself: Six Ways to Avoid Caregiver Burnout”
What You don’t Know About Breathing Can Really Hurt You
Losing My Ability to Breathe Somewhere, between diagnosis and deliverance, I forgot how to breathe. I find myself, at odd moments, holding my breath, not in anticipation or fright, but simply because I have forgotten the rhythm of breathing. I didn’t even know about my loss until I started experiencing… Read more“What You don’t Know About Breathing Can Really Hurt You”
