Forty-Eight Mental Breaks for Caregivers

Wow, I really like this list in today's Caregiver.com newsletter. Forty-Eight Mental Breaks for Caregivers. I might add For Any Stressful Time of Life. And also, really let your mind and heart go to those places. For Number 17, the beach, for example, don't just think about a beach. Feel warm sand under your toes, cool foam sloshing over your toes, sunshine soothing your eyelids. Remember your giddy joy to find the tide line littered with starfish or a whole sand dollar or conch. Think about how fun it was to peer inside a fisherman's bucket and chat about the day's catch. Any sand castles in your memories? Dolphin sightings? Take a little time to revel in each mental break.

Number 7, taking a drive on a pretty road ... I'd almost forgotten the drive through Big Sur forty-plus years ago. I don't think often enough about the jaw-dropping colorama in the Adirondacks on a more recent drive. But if I sit with these memories for a bit, details will come to mind and refresh me.

I encourage you to check out all 48 here. Try a few, especially if your caregiving situation is such that you can't take nearly enough actual physical breaks. These mental break ideas are winners.

Legal Tips for the New Year

 "Legal Tips for the New Year" by Jonathan Chochor, JD, does contain helpful legal tips for caregivers, but more than that, the article tells a few ways you can be a more effective medical advocate.

Researching a physician's professional background for disciplinary actions is a tip I don't often see. A more common tip, keeping a log of symptoms, diagnoses, and medications is extremely important. Take the log to doctor visits.

I wish I had bought a notebook to dedicate for this purpose. Instead, I used note papers, which, I can testify, get lost easily. I might add that as medications add up, you'd be wise to jot each drug's possible side effects in your notebook and inquire of the doctor if you note new symptoms you suspect might be side effects. In my experience, doctors were pretty good at monitoring this themselves, but it doesn't hurt to ask. Ultimately, you need to make the best decision for your loved one, and that means understanding risks and benefits of the drugs.

To read Chochor's article in Caregiver.com, click on "Legal Tips for the New Year."