Tag Archives: Self Care

Take Care…

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On this blog I’ve been saying that it is important for caregivers to take care of themselves. I want to let you know that I didn’t come out of my time of care giving in good shape. Too late, I’ve realized that I really didn’t follow the advice that I’ve been giving you. For years I put taking care of me in the background so that I could take care of others. I’m now starting to reap what I’ve sown. This is why I stress it so much.

I thought that once I retired I would be able to bounce back to where I was sometime in the past, meaning my energy levels and my mental and emotional state. Actually, I thought the same thing would happen after Joe died, and it did for a bit. But I was still working full time and going through the grind of the office everyday and all of the stress that causes. Now that I have retired I thought I would have more energy and be more mentally alert. This didn’t happen. Instead, for the past six months, I’ve been tired, sleepy and bored but with no energy to do anything about it. At first I told myself to be easy on myself and just recover. Take it easy. I started getting caught up on my own doctor check ups and found that there are some things I’m going to have to do.

I’ve run myself down into a rut. I’m very “out of shape” so to speak. Nothing major is going on, I’ve just been extremely hard on my physical self. I’ve done this for years, not taking breaks, just trying to get through the stress of living and taking care of Joe. I did do small things like going to a counselor and taking a couple of hours a week to take a walk. But nothing regular, nothing planned. I didn’t do social things, so now I have no friends to contact and the friends that I did have I haven’t talked to in ages. I’ve backed myself into a corner but I’ve decided to fight my way out.

I go to an exercise class twice a week at the local YMCA. Check them out, they have some wonderful programs especially if you’re a senior. I also started to attend church regularly and I go to a large Women’s Bible Study once a week. I’m doing these things to be more “social”. I’m an introvert and it’s very hard for me to start friendships, so I’m forcing myself out of my house to meet people.

I know that if you are actively care giving at this time it is really hard to leave the house, but if you can, please do activities that will lift your spirits or give you some fresh air and exercise. If you can’t leave your home I’ve found tons of Bible Study’s and teachings online, mostly on YouTube and most churches have an online option. If you are a senior, look into the “Silver Sneakers” website and they have a YouTube channel as well.

I messed myself up. I would hate to see anyone follow my footsteps. Take care of yourself because there is only one of you.

This is Me…

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I had introduced Joe, but I think it’s time to introduce me.

I’m old now, a real card carrying member of the senior set. This seems strange to me… what happened to my life while I was living it? I’ve certainly been busy, too busy to notice what was going on with me. I’ve really been through a lot during my life and I hope some of that will come through these pages to help others.

I’m a daughter of an alcoholic. That alone sets your life up for struggles in the future. I was born late in my parents life, so by the time I graduated from High School my dad already had two heart attacks. Shortly after I graduated my mom started having strokes and seizures. Helping to take care of them set me up for the caregiving role. Yup, I started early. After dad had his first heart attack my brother had a bad car accident and his whole family (wife and two small children) came to live with us. My mom and sister-in-law got jobs in the evening at the same hospital, same shift, different jobs. So after school I had to come home, help my dad and brother and look after my small niece and nephew. Dinner (for all), baths and bed for the kiddies. Fetching and carrying for the men. After a year or two everyone got better, my brother and family moved out.

Once I was married I was still caregiving. Our first son was born a year and a half after we married and I took to being a mother and a wife naturally. I was already a proven caregiver!

My moms health slowly deteriorated over the years and my dad would call me to help with her, for baths and such. By this time I was working a full time job with two elementary age children. When mom went into the hospital (which was a lot) she would get agitated when she was having seizures so the hospital would call and I would go and sit with mom and calm her down. She died a few years after that and dad died three years later. I was in my early thirties.

Life kept rolling along until 1999 when Joe was diagnosed with his brain tumor. I’ve already told you what that was like (Introducing Joe), but the 16 years really took a toll on my life. Recovery has been hard.

Don’t think that stress and worry won’t tell on you later in life, cause it will. I tried to take care of myself spiritually and mentally while taking care of Joe, but let the physical go. To tell the truth, I was too tired to even think about doing more than brushing my teeth and falling into bed. Trying to get the minimum amount of rest and keeping my sanity and serenity took all I had. This last 5 (almost 6) years, I’ve spent trying to get my physical self better. It’s been hard and I have a long way to go.

If you are in the middle of your caregiving, try to take care of yourself. I can see now that I was too busy taking care of others to even think about me. It seemed selfish if I thought about it at the time, but I can see now, with 20/20 hindsight, that I should have been a bit more selfish. I don’t regret a thing that I’ve done except not doing more for me. That’s a regret that will stay with me for a while.