Everyone talks about finding balance, well, not everyone. It’s mostly women who talk about finding balance in their lives. Marriage. Kids. Work. And now caring for our aging parents. Wait, I didn’t sign up for this!
In an already busy world, caregivers find they have to add one more thing into the mix. It can be a daunting adventure, thrown into a world that you didn’t want to have to think about, yet live in on a daily basis. Learning new terminology, juggling doctors appointments, yours, your kids, and now moms. Before becoming a caregiver, you were probably pretty wobbly on the balance beam of life, now it seems, you will never stick the landing.
First things first, I am not going to say, take time for yourself because that is what everyone says and the first thing you will do is roll your eyes and say “yeah, right”. (Admit it, you just did exactly that!).
I am however going to say, MAKE TIME for yourself. (Insert eye roll). It can be five minutes before getting out of bed using a guided meditation. You can use the Calm app on a phone or ask Alexa to “open guided meditation”. I use that at night when I can’t get back to sleep. Just give yourself five minutes before you start your day. Set your intentions for the day, send it out to the Universe that you are looking forward to your day flowing with grace and ease. Expect that. If it falls apart, let it fall apart with grace and ease.
Disconnect from devices. I am not talking all weekend or even a day. One hour. Turn it off. Step away. Let your phone recharge its batteries while you recharge yours. Start with whatever amount of time you can handle. When I was working for a company, my mind was hard wired to my work phone. I constantly checked it after hours just in case I missed something. Then work became my life and when I no longer had that job, my life went with it. I had to get back to me, rediscover the things I LIKED doing, not just relying on my job as life. Put down the phone, unless you are a doctor on call, it will be fine.
Remember in the midst of all of this, have some fun. Life can get hard, but you can still have fun. Laugh, joke, play, have a dance off party with your kids or friends, do whatever you can think of to blow off some steam and have some fun. Subscribe to a joke a day, get a calendar with a joke a day. Enjoy a belly laugh. Having fun does not make you any less, it expands who you are and keeps you grounded in the messy middle.
If you are having trouble finding balance, reach out to someone. That’s why we started Dedicated Daughters. We hope you sign up and help find the right answers.