Success Principle One of Being a Good Care Giver: Get into good habits

Care giving is challenging. 

All of us who are care givers or who have been care givers know the truth to the first sentence in this blog post.  But, I've also learned in life that anything worthwhile is worth the effort required for whatever reason or need.


Currently, I'm smack dab in the middle of being a care giver to my mom who recently began showing signs of Lewy Bodies Dementia.  I've written about it in the past, but the easiest explanation is it's the dementia that comes with hallucinations of people and wild animals.

Personally, through out my life I have been working toward becoming the best person that I can be, all in pursuit of ultimate happiness, Nirvana on Earth.

Early on in my education of self, I realized that the Catholic Church WAS NOT the only religion.  When nuns would teach our young minds that the Catholic Religion was the only true religion, I thought these nuns were totally off their rockers.  It made no sense to me.  I began asking a lot of questions that went unanswered.

I studied all religions, many religions of the East, the old religions that dated back to the beginning of recorded history.  Always searching to understand why a "woman of God" would tell kids that our religion was the only valid path to the Kingdom of Heaven.

What I found was a full filling road, a road that took me places and provided opportunities for me to expand my mind on so many levels.  In the process of my journey, I found myself.  I understand who I AM. 

However, care giving for someone with LBD can make the most loving person in the world throw out all that they believe and know to be true about life and slide into the darkest recesses of the Earth.  Life can turn into hell in a split second.  It's our attitudes that cause the shift, the lightning fast change... both good and bad. 

It all depends on us, the care giver, to relax and let go.  It's super easy to let it build up.  We've all been there and done that at least 10 times if not more. 

I'm done with the build up and the volatile emotions. 

I know how to fix it so that my experience as a Care giver for my mom with LBD is one that I'll look back on one day with fond memories.  She's pretty funny on her good days.  I know my attitude and mood affects my mom.  It's the whole energy thing that I learned about on my road to self discovery.

Following is my first success principle of being a good care giver; Get into good habits.

Believe that today is the beginning of your new life and that you are ready to take on any challenge to become successful in your goals as a great care giver.

You come first. 

You are no good to anyone if you are sick or feeling like shit.  Take time for yourself.  I know this sounds almost impossible, if I read this sentence during one of my "whoa is me" phases of my journey with my mom I'd probably start swearing at the computer screen.

There are ways to find time.  Be creative.  Pay attention to when your loved one is sleeping or occupied with something that will give you a few minutes for you time.

I cook.  I chop vegetables and herbs.  It's therapeutic and every one leaves me alone when I'm cooking, even my mom.  I prepare 3 meals a day just so I have more me time.  Every one loves my creations, even my mom on most days.

I use Wii Fit with my mom.  If she can do it, she does the Wii Fit balance game where she moves her body to get the balls in the holes.  She goes up another level when she makes it.  I can tell when she's doing good by her ability to use this part of the game. 

There's a feature where she can walk with her mini-Mi.  She walks in place and the game calculates the steps.  It's awesome.  It makes her lift her feet.  On the treadmill, she has a tendency to drag her feet which I don't think is very safe. 

The exercise is helping her and it's helping me.  I'm dropping a pound of fat a week.  I feel really good.  My mom loves to watch me exercise, especially the Yoga poses.  Some poses she does try, others she just laughs and laughs as she watches me contort my body. 

In a sense, I'm making exercise a habit for my mom and me.  It seems to be helping both of us to feel better and stronger. 

It's never too late to start taking care of ourselves.  The body is amazing, it can heal itself, my mom proves this to me every day.