Spring is a great time to breathe new life into our homes. We feel a renewed sense of energy to take in more light and clean our spaces. One area in particular that can use a refresh is the kitchen. We change our eating habits with seasons, so it’s the perfect time to poke through…
“Your entire body and mind change in response to the perceived threat.”
Our response is often to flee. We’ve heard of the fight or flight syndrome. We create an answer that we believe manages the stressor and move on. Or do we?
Remember that emotional exhaustion occurs when we get stuck in emotions and can’t move through the tunnel. In Human Giver Syndrome, the giver isn’t allowed to express feelings, so they remain trapped and cannot move through the tunnel.
Completing the Cycle One important recommendation for completing the stress cycle is physical activity in the previous article on Fight, Flight, or Freeze. It’s a great first line of defense in the battle against burnout. Burnout offers six other evidence-based strategies to consider: Breathing. The breath is one tool you have from beginning to end…
2020 was a seminal year for collective stress and trauma. Often we “take turns” in our relationships, being in a state of burnout or stress. 2020 spared few, and the responses have varied from relief at not having to interact as much to depression, anxiety, fear, loss, and grief.
Working with caregivers, I discovered a helpful tool, a Care Map. This tool gives us a flexible, working “picture” of a potential or active caregiver situation.
Caregivers often know about “skin hunger.” It’s one of the bits of life that can be lost or compromised when we’re caring for someone else. It remains an important component of our self-care. Touch helps nervous system regulation, giving us a sense of calm, and can help with sleep. While we don’t know when we’ll…
“Could you bring me my underwear?” Okay, this is not what you think it is. I was giving my husband a list of things I needed him to bring to the hospital before I went home that day. Underwear, makeup (not to scare anyone as I left the building), toiletries, and a hat. I arrived…
Piggy-backing on my post about continuity rituals, I wanted to address our daily rituals. It occurred to me that while I watch my husband daily attend to his hearing aids, I don’t know how to work with them. They’re attuned to his smartphone so he can control volume and interactions with his phone. While he’s…
