Mental Fitness: Caring for the Caregiver

When you play the role of primary caregiver in the family, it isn't always easy to find the time or energy to find personal balance while caring for others. This is especially true when you have the double responsibility for taking care of young children and ailing parents, even when it comes from a place of love and respect. I recently found the following website that has a wealth of useful information available to people in this situation or one like it -- you may access this site via the link: http://www.caring.com/

As the primary caregiver, keeping life on a healthy track and moving forward takes on even greater importance when you have people depending on you. Take advantage of this helpful website when you need to reach out and inform yourself of what you can do to find spot-on advice from experts or from people sharing their testimonials about their own experience. I was particularly struck by an interview recently posted on the site. I found it very insightful for those people struggling to help elderly parents who resist their efforts or reject much needed care. When you are on the site, go to:

Talking With Barbara McVicker: Caregiving in a Dysfunctional Family
The coauthor of Stuck in the Middle: Shared Stories and Tips for Caregiving Your Elderly Parents talks about caring for difficult parents.

One often discusses the importance of physical fitness and diet in our daily lives as key areas of focus for maintaining an optimum level of health. There has been much talk and research around the positive impact of achieving spiritual and mental balance -- i.e. meditation, yoga and prayer, alternative healing methods, etc. -- and what role these play in preventing illness and/or healing after medical interventions. (More about this subject in a later post dedicated to it.)

Hopefully you will find that the http://www.caring.com/ website will help you put your mind at ease in some way. At the very least, it provides useful ideas and resources that will allow you to do mental "push-ups" for better fitness in that area.

Good luck -- Carmella