OK Rockstar's so I'm back and ready to spill the tea on my first tip for the safe and fun ways that I use to give care to my mom with Alzheimer's. Jumping right into it, the first tip is to FOCUS.
So just a little refresher here, preparing for tip number 1 is going to be based off of the acronym I shared with you guys in the last post. That acronym is FIT (Focusing your energy, Improving your environment and managing your Time). This first tip is so crucial to start with because it is the foundation on how to maintain your peace of mind in spite of the frustrations and challenges that may arise when caring for someone with a cognitive disability.
Now heads up, focusing your energy may look different for everyone but for me it looked like this:
IT LOOKED LIKE ME - buying crystals, palo santo and sexy candles... So for me guys, being intentional about keeping my energy positive meant making time to meditate and to pray and to just commit to positive affirmations in a glamorous way of course (it's me lol). I really have no shame in that either. I mean I have a strong affinity for all things fab + functional so crystals (which are fab) and palo santo (which is functional) is on heavy rotation in my Cabin. In fact, this continues to be an essential part of keeping my energy strong and positive #goodvibesonly
FOCUSING MY ENERGY ALSO LOOKED LIKE ME - snatching as much green tea as possible on a daily... (thank you
Dollar Tree for constantly being the plug). Yo drinking tea to this day still has a way of calming my mind as it tries to race away with getting caught up in all the things. I mean do you guys feel me? Does tea have that affect on you to?
IT ALSO LOOKED LIKE ME - staying up to date and being proactive on my health... By working out, eating plant based meals and also making sure I rested well (which admittedly tho' is still a bit of challenge for me) keeps me physically apt to take on unexpected challenges when helping my mom as she progresses through the disease.
FOCUSING MY ENERGY ALSO LOOKED LIKE ME - investing in my physical appearance...
Now you may not think that energy and physical appearance go hand in hand but trust me, when you look good, it's more likely than not that you feel good and when you feel good, your energy is ALL THE WAY UP! Using natural skin care butters like this one from
Brooklyn Essence that I am seriously obsessed with and also rocking fabulous finds like
this [kab-in] + [fee-ver] piece helped me to channel a downright sexy, confident and most positive of energy flows.
LASTLY, FOCUSING MY ENERGY LOOKED LIKE ME - staying in my power by educating myself about being a caregiver... Knowledge is POWER, no lie! Reading informative books like the
36-Hour Day and
The Inspired Caregiver helped me to feel so prepared to take on this huge responsibility. Guys, these books are awesome! Not only is it a great guide for families caring for loved ones with Alzheimers but it shows you how to balance life and caregiving responsibilities without feeling guilty or falling into the trap of burnout. NICE!
And that's it people... that's the first Rockstar Tip. These are just a few ways that help me to focus my energy and to keep it 100 with you, I have been enjoying turning them from Rockstar tips into Rockstar routines. It's just been a great way for me to practice daily self-care habits.
That said, I want you to stick around and stay tuned for PT II and Part III of a Rockstar's Guide to Caregiving. I am going to share with you the patterns + designs I used to improve my environment and some tricks I implemented to manage my Time as a full-time caregiver.
As always, XOX,
Nikki~
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