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Living with Panic Attacks and Taking Steps Toward Healthy Recovery

Living with Panic Attacks and Taking Steps Toward Healthy Recovery

by myconcretedove | Apr 9, 2021 | Blog, Christian, Confessions of a Caregiver, Joyful Living, Prayer

Are you living with panic attacks? Just the name makes me want to run away and hide. The last one I had was bad enough for my husband to call the paramedics. I had one 11 years ago (at work of all places) that put me in the hospital for two days. I thought I was...
Savor the Moments Because They May Be Precious and Few

Savor the Moments Because They May Be Precious and Few

by myconcretedove | Mar 26, 2021 | Christian, Confessions of a Caregiver, Five Minute Fridays

Savor the moment. Stop and smell the roses. Enjoy life. Smell the coffee. And this great quote from American philosopher and writer Dallas Willard, ā€œRuthlessly eliminate hurry from your life.ā€ Click here to read more about eliminating hurry. These sayings came about...
Confessions of A Caregiver Episode 12 – Eliminate Hurry to Improve Your Quality of Life

Confessions of A Caregiver Episode 12 – Eliminate Hurry to Improve Your Quality of Life

by myconcretedove | Mar 26, 2021 | Blog, Christian, Confessions of a Caregiver, Prayer

How does one eliminate hurry? I recently came upon this famous quote by American philosopher and writer, Dallas Willard, and had to stop and take notice.Ā Ā  You must ruthlessly eliminate hurry from your life. – Dallas Albert WillardĀ  Here is a snippet of my life and...
Joyology 101: Going from Earning a Profession to Accepting a Commission

Joyology 101: Going from Earning a Profession to Accepting a Commission

by myconcretedove | Feb 17, 2021 | #Write28Days, Christian, Confessions of a Caregiver, Joyful Living, Writing

What is a professional? Boy of boy, I’m tired just thinking about it! Student loans, hours and hours of research, reading and writing papers, maybe working for free as an intern, going to trade-school, and working through an apprenticeship. Finally, after years...
Confessions of a Caregiver Episode 11 – Preparing for a Hard Winter

Confessions of a Caregiver Episode 11 – Preparing for a Hard Winter

by myconcretedove | Nov 20, 2020 | Confessions of a Caregiver, Inspire Me Monday

Work Now to Improve Your Life Later I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, being a caregiver is hard. So work now to improve your life later. Just like wildlife prepare for winter, you can prepare yourself for what might otherwise be a long dark...
Confessions of a Caregiver Episode 9 – Honor Your Parents By Preserving Their Independence

Confessions of a Caregiver Episode 9 – Honor Your Parents By Preserving Their Independence

by myconcretedove | Sep 25, 2020 | Blog, Confessions of a Caregiver

“Mom, I’ve had a good life.” I was yelling into the phone so that she could hear me. She had to know now, I didn’t want to wait until I could see her again, face to face. It was so clear to me, there was an urgency about it. Tell her...
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myconcretedove

Helping #caregivers manage the overwhelm & keep smiling.
Selfcare | Tips | Encouragement
My Concrete Dove Blog
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Family caregivers, take a break for an Awe Walk. Family caregivers, take a break for an Awe Walk.  You'll be amazed by the little things that make you smile. 😊

#awewalk 
#payattentiontodetails 
#mindfulcaregiver
#iamacaregiver 
#mindfulliving 
#mindfulwalk
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Instagram post 17877293661326877 Instagram post 17877293661326877
It's been a while... Here's an update on why you h It's been a while... Here's an update on why you haven't seen me much.
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#caregiverjourney
#caregiverselfcare 
#caregiverlife 
#iamacaregiver 
#griefjourney 
#walkingforhealth
#keepwalking
#keepwriting
#caregiverselfcare 
#leanonjesus
#trustjesus 
#newbeginnings
Meet Michelle, my beautiful sister. In this pictur Meet Michelle, my beautiful sister. In this picture, she's all dressed up for Prom. 

šŸ’ƒI miss her, but I know she's in heaven and probably dancing. 

Today is a special day to make the world aware of very special people with Down Syndrome.
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#worldownsyndromeday 
#downsyndromecaregiver
#downsyndromeawareness 
#sisters
Why do you need a plan? Because recovery is harder Why do you need a plan? Because recovery is harder than preparation. ⁠
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Your health is important for you and your care recipient because preparing now is way better than repairing later. If you have a health event, it will also impact your care recipient.⁠
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Fellow family caregivers, there is no reason to do caregiving the "harder" way (It’s hard enough already, right!?). Your plan doesn’t have to be perfect. It's okay to change it as needs increase. ⁠
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šŸ‘‰ļøGet started with the basics. ⁠
-Get extra help⁠
-Organize your living space⁠
-Research available support ⁠
-Make your living space safe⁠
-Time for yourself, friends & family⁠
-Mind your health⁠
-Consider getting a caregiver coach⁠
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Trust me when is say preparing is better than repairing. ⁠
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So, don't wait for the perfect circumstances to get started. Perfection really isn't a thing in family caregiving. While caregiving is rewarding, it can also be messy, unpredictable, and sometimes, difficult. ⁠
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Having a plan can help you see through the chaos to take the next steps on your caregiving journey.⁠
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ā“ļøDo you have a plan? ⁠
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#haveaplan⁠
#caregivingjourney⁠
#caregiving⁠
#familycaregiving⁠
#familycaregivers⁠
#caregiverselfcare⁠
#selfcareisimportant⁠
#selfcareis⁠
#caregivingplan⁠
#planahead⁠
#caringforparents⁠
#caringformom⁠
#agingparents⁠
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Happy 96th Birthday šŸŽ‚ #caringforparents #care Happy 96th Birthday šŸŽ‚

#caringforparents 
#caregiverselfcare 
#caringformom
#caringforparents 
#caregivers
Happy 96th Birthday, Mom! šŸŽ¶Keep singingšŸŽ¶ Y Happy 96th Birthday,  Mom!

šŸŽ¶Keep singingšŸŽ¶
You are a treasurešŸ’œ

Alouetta is one of my mother's favorite French songs to share with others.

#keepsinging
#keepsmiling 
#happybirthdaymom
#alouette
And just like that, we’re back to spring again!⁠
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That's right, family caregiving has its seasons. 

Family caregiver friend, learning to identify and navigate through the seasons of caregiving is important to your overall well-being. Caregiving may end someday, and you’ll want to be healthy when that happens. But you need to stay healthy as you go through it, too. ⁠
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It doesn't happen by accident. You need a plan.⁠

Start here...
ā ā€œTrust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways submit to him and he will make your paths straight.ā€ (Proverbs 3:5-6)⁠
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Visit myconcretedove.com for the rest of the post, where I share why you need a plan and a few ideas on where to start. Click the link in bio for more.⁠
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Hope to see you there. ⁠
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#makeaplan⁠
#familycaregiving⁠
#seasonsofcaregiving⁠
#starthere⁠
#caringforparents⁠
#caregivingplan⁠
#futureplans⁠
#Godhasaplanforyou⁠
#planningisimportant⁠
#caregiverjourney⁠
#caregiverlife⁠
#caringformom
Cherish the perfect days. I took this photo at a Cherish the perfect days.

I took this photo at a market in Paris a couple of years ago. It was a warm, perfect day.

šŸ–ŒšŸŽØ This was the perfect snowy weekend watercolor project. 

ā„ļø Happy snowy Sunday.
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#watercolorpainter
#stressrelieftips
#familycaregiver 
#visitparisšŸ‡«šŸ‡· 
#preventburnout 
#caregiverburnout
#watercolorpainters
š™š™š™š š™š™–š™¢š™žš™”š™® š˜¾š™–š™§ š™š™š™š š™š™–š™¢š™žš™”š™® š˜¾š™–š™§š™šš™œš™žš™«š™šš™§š™Øā€™ š˜¾š™¤š™£š™Ŗš™£š™™š™§š™Ŗš™¢ā 
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Are you thinking, "I want to do this, but it scares me."⁠
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I'm not saying we don't want to care for those we love. Most of us do, but we don't always know what that care entails at the outset. ⁠
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😧It's only after getting started when questions like these start cropping up:⁠
ā“ļøHow long will this last⁠
ā“ļøWhat are the physical and financial burdens (and they are burdens)⁠
ā“ļøHow will caregiving impact my family, job, health, and life⁠
ā“ļøWill I have help⁠
ā“ļøCan I even do this⁠
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When the realities of caregiving become apparent, those of us who aren't naturally born family caregivers (like the one who wrote this) can become anxious and overwhelmed⁠
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We start struggling with those energy-sucking emotions I mentioned in my post last week (blog post link in bio) wondering, "What did I get myself into?"⁠
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I'm not trying to scare you, but some family caregiving situations can be quite demanding. Things like Alzheimer's, MS, Aging parents, recurring cancer, COPD, children with special needs, a debilitating injury--these things don't discriminate. They can happen to anyone and they are often progressively more difficult to manage over time.⁠
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🫤Look, I don’t have all the answers, but I do have a practical survival guide to help you manage the overwhelm of family caregiving. ⁠
It’s free, so go to the link in bio and download it today. ⁠
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šŸ’ŖšŸ»You can do this!⁠
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Drop a heart in the comments if you have been or are a family caregiver now. šŸ’ŸThanks for reading.⁠
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I can't remember where I found this graphic. It was a few years ago and I'd like to give the artist credit if you know who it is..⁠
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#confusedcaregiver⁠
#caregivinglife⁠
#familycaregiver⁠
#caringforparents⁠
#agingparentcare⁠
#caregiverstrong⁠
#caregiverburnout⁠
#caregiverselfcare⁠
#elderlycare⁠
#selfcareforcaregivers⁠
#choosejoy⁠
#caringformom⁠
#caregivertips⁠
#alziemersawareness⁠
#downsyndromecaregiver⁠
#strugglingcaregiver⁠
It's a "me time" day! Caregiver self-care reset. It's a "me time" day!

Caregiver self-care reset. šŸ–ŒšŸŽØFor me, time spent painting is very helpful when I need a mindset reset. 

I started a new pen & ink with watercolor class and,  regardless of my talent level, I love it. It takes patience and concentration, both of which I struggle with. 

Somehow, it's very calming to concentrate only on which colors go together and which doodley line I'll use to make a shadow.

My last visit with mom was frustrating, but I don't want it to be that way. šŸ˜• 

Caring for parents is hard. But taking a "me time" break might just keep the frustration to a minimum. Try it and see.

šŸ–¼ Which one do you like best, with color or without?
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#caringforparents
#caregiverlife
#caregivingtips 
#watercolordoodle
#caregiverselfcare 
#metimemoment
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